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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23904589">I crossed the stars to be with you</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowsintheClouds/pseuds/ShadowsintheClouds'>ShadowsintheClouds</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Abandonment, Anxious Tony Stark, Apples of Idunn, Child Neglect, DO NOT COPY, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard just isn't helping, Hurt Tony Stark, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Tony Stark, M/M, Mpreg, Ménière's disease, Peggy Carter is Tony Stark's mom, Peggy is trying guys, Protective Thor (Marvel), References to Depression, Sick Tony, Suicide Attempt, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Thor Gives Him One, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 18:15:24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>32,975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23904589</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowsintheClouds/pseuds/ShadowsintheClouds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On a dare, Thor finds himself sent to Midgard with a challenge to find his way back home. Upon his arrival, he finds a small man getting ready to jump off the roof of his apartment complex. Knowing that he can't let someone just jump tp their death, Thor intervenes and soon learns all about Anthony Edward Carter-Stark. Knowing he can't let this bright light go out, Thor does whatever he can to help Tony heal from the wounds life has given him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tony Stark/Thor</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>510</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Dare</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hello there! It’s been over a year since I’ve written some Thunderiron. I think it’s time to change that. So, I’m combining some of my favourite topes and giving us some of the wonderful Thor and Tony content we deserve. Especially after Endgame. I hope you like this one. Warnings for talks of depression and suicide. Also in my own self-indulgence, I gave Tony the same disease I have. I never see it mentioned anywhere and I wanted to write it. I gave him my symptoms but everybody is different. I just needed a place to vent a bit. Anyway, enjoy!   </p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Frandal and Loki dared Thor to sneak down to Midgard and find his way back, he never expected it to end up the way it did. Thor just thought he’d pop down, look around to see how Midgard had changed from the stories he’d been told, and head back home before he could get in trouble with his father.</p><p>That wasn’t what happened.</p><p>When Thor arrived he landed in a field surrounded by lights and seats. The lights were off except for a few near the entrances. There were also some flags flying above some sort of observation box. They were all the same identical red and white striped with a blue square and stars in the corner. It must be something significant.</p><p>Thor exited the area and looked off towards the rising moon and saw a large collection of buildings connected by paths and greenery. He decided to walk over in that direction and have a look around before trying to return home.</p><p>As Thor was walking around he came across a building with a few balconies and many lights on. He looked upwards to see how high it went and was met with the sight of a small human standing on the edge of the roof. The man above him looked so incredibly sad. Just looking at him made Thor want to cry. But it also made Thor extremely worried. It didn’t take a genius to figure out why the small human was standing on top of the roof looking sad.      </p><p>So, Thor did the only thing he could think of. He used his hammer to fly up to the roof to stop the human from jumping.</p><p>When Thor got there it was as if the human didn’t even notice or care that Thor was there. Thor stepped closer and saw that the human was a small male with fluffy hair and tear-filled brown eyes. He looked young. Probably still an adolescent. Thor hated to think about what could bring such a sweet-looking boy to this kind of desperate act.</p><p>“Are you alright little one?” asked Thor as he slowly walked closer. He didn’t want to startle the poor thing.</p><p>“GO AWAY!”</p><p>Thor paused for a second but continued to move closer. He wasn’t about to let him jump. Maybe if he kept him talking it would help.</p><p>“What’s your name?” asked Thor gently and he hears the young man sniffle.</p><p>“Anthony Carter-Stark.”</p><p>“Well little Anthony, why are you out here on the roof so close to the edge?”</p><p>“I’m not little!” shouted Anthony and Thor smiled a bit.</p><p>“Compared to myself, you are little. But so are most people.” Spoke Thor. His words caused Anthony to turn around and finally look at him. He gave Thor a quick once over before looking back at the ground below him.</p><p>“Whatever giant man. Not everybody can be as tall as you.” Snarked Anthony and Thor frowned.</p><p>“You’re thinking of jumping aren’t you.” Spoke Thor. It wasn’t a question. It was a statement.</p><p>“So what. Nobody would miss me. I’m so tired of trying and getting hurt. I just don’t want to hurt anymore. I’m tired of being tired. I’m tired of being too dizzy to function most days. I’m tired of being beaten down by my father. I’m tired of my mother not being around. I’m tired of my brother and sister being mean to me. I’m tired of the rumours and neglect and I just can’t take it anymore.”</p><p>By the end, Anthony was openly sobbing and Thor’s heart was breaking. This poor little mortal was hurting so deeply. Just from what Thor could see Anthony had been wronged greatly. He didn’t even hesitate. Tony walked over and pulled Anthony into his arms and brought the crying boy away from the edge of the roof. He wasn’t going to let him jump. Thor may generally come across as large, slightly stupid, and carefree, but he cared deeply. This young mortal had tugged at his heart and he wasn’t about to let him die.</p><p>Thor and Anthony ended up sitting on the ground as far away from the edge as they could. Thor held Anthony’s hands in his to keep him there and grounded. The poor thing was still crying and Thor felt horrible. Anthony was very good looking he wouldn’t deny that. He was also very adorable. Almost like the large forest cats that his mother’s friend Freya used to pull her carriage. How people could harm something so precious looking was beyond him.</p><p>“How old are you Anthony?” asked Thor as Anthony began to calm down.</p><p>“I’m 17. I’ll be 18 soon though. Just two more months.”</p><p>17! Anthony was young for someone from Midgard. Well, Thor was pretty young too by their standards. If he did the math he was only in his early 20’s by Midgard’s standards. Maybe close to 21. So Anthony wasn’t much younger then he was all things considered and yet the world had hurt him so much.</p><p>And then they two got to talking. Well, it was more like Anthony talking. Thor let him though. It was clear he needed it and Thor was happy to listen and help where he could. If he took a little longer finding his way back home then so be it.</p><p>Thor learned that Anthony preferred to go by Tony. That he was the son and a weapons designer named Howard Stark and the director of SHIELD named Peggy Carter. Thor didn’t know what SHIELD was but it sounded important by the way Tony was describing it. Thor learned that Tony was the product of a drunken mistake and was mostly kept around to be the heir to his father's company. His father’s wife didn’t care much for him so he was mostly pushed to his butler to be raised when he was at his father’s house, which was, unfortunately, most of the time.</p><p>Thor learned that his mother really did love him, but he didn’t get to spend much time with her. Only one full week every two months. His birth had put a strain on his mother and his step-father’s relationship and his brother Matthew and his sister Rebecca hated him for it. They were almost ten years older then he was so it was hard to fight back sometimes when he was small. But his mother still loved him and it made things a little bit easier when he was with her.</p><p>Thor learned of the kidnappings of Tony’s childhood. He learned how Howard would sometimes force Tony to drink alcohol. He learned of the scars on Tony’s hands and how Howard was to blame and how Howard was jealous of Tony’s intelligence and felt threatened by him. He learned of Tony becoming sick less than a year ago and getting diagnosed with something called Meniere’s Disease. How it made him dizzy constantly to varying degrees. How it was affecting his hearing and balance. How some days it made him so tired he couldn’t bother to get out of bed. He learned how Howard nearly shot him after the diagnosis for having a broken child despite Tony being a genius.</p><p>By the end, Tony was crying again and Thor was as well. Poor Tony had endured so much. He deserved a chance to be happy.    </p><p>“I’m sorry for dumping that all on you. You don’t deserve to be burdened with all my problems.” Spoke Tony. There were tears streaming down his face and his hands were shaking slightly.</p><p>“It is alright Anthony. You’ve been through so much. It is alright to need to talk about those things. Keeping them in can cause sicknesses of the mind.” Soothed Thor as he continued to hold Tony’s hands in his.</p><p>“But I still shouldn’t have dumped all that on you. You’re a total stranger. I don’t even know your name.”</p><p>“My name is Thor Odinson. I come from a planet called Asgard. I came here on a dare from my friends and brother. I was looking around when I found you and I knew I couldn’t leave.” Spoke Thor honestly and Tony looked surprised.</p><p>“Wow, the drugs that Tiberius gave me must have had something in them. This can’t be real. I’m not talking to a Norse god from space.” Sighed Tony as he closed his eyes and shook his head.</p><p>“I can assure you that I am very real. All of this is real. Here. Let me tell you about my home.”</p><p>Tony nodded skeptically and Thor began his tale. They spent a good hour on that roof looking at the stars while Thor told Tony about Asgard. He told Tony of his family and of some of the battles he’d fought. He told Tony about his people’s history. The whole time Tony listen with intrigue. He absorbed every word Thor said like a sponge. It was one of the most interesting conversations Tony had ever had.</p><p>“It is late and cold. I should help you home or at least someplace where you feel safe. Is there somewhere I can take you?” asked Thor. Tony had started to shiver beside him and it was really only then when Thor realized that he was only wearing a thin black long sleeve shirt with the letters AC/DC written on the front. He must be cold in the frigid spring air.</p><p>Tony nodded a bit and gave Thor some directions. It turned out that Tony lived in the very building that he planned to jump from. He lived in a small apartment with his best friend Rhodey. Thor helped Tony to his feet and carefully brought him inside through a door on the roof. From there Thor took Tony back to his place and knocked on the door.</p><p>“Who the hell is knocking at 1 in the morning?” came a voice from the other side. Soon after the door was flung open and Thor was met with the disgruntled face of Tony’s roommate.</p><p>“Um… what?” asked Rhodey as he opened the door wider. Thor just smiled sadly and helped Tony inside and to his bed.</p><p>“Alright. Who are you? Why do you have Tony? Why does he look so upset?” asked Rhodey and Thor frowned.</p><p>“I found him on the roof. He is in a bad way. Please make sure he is alright.” Pleased Thor. In such a short time He’d already found himself getting attached to the tiny mortal. He wanted to make sure that Tony was alright.</p><p>“Was he…? Was he gonna?” Thor nodded and Rhodey frowned and shook his head.               </p><p>“Thank you. Thank you for keeping him alive. He’s been through so much. He doesn’t deserve everything that’s happened to him. But he also deserves to live and to keep going. So… Thank you.”</p><p>“Thor…” came Tony’s voice from his bed in the corner and the two turned around and walked over to him.</p><p>“Are you leaving now?” asked Tony and Thor nodded sadly.  </p><p>“I am, but I promise that I will find my way back. You had better be alive when I return. I shall be sad if you’re not. Understand?” spoke Thor as he ran a hand through Tony’s hair. Tony nodded and collapsed down on the bed and closed his eyes. Thor smiled sadly and removed a little charm from the side of his tunic. He’d leave it there for Tony so he had something of his to hold onto. The charm was gold and melded into the shape of his hammer. Thor’s mother had gifted it to him when he was little as a sign of strength. Now he was giving that strength to Tony. He needed it more.</p><p>With a quick nod to Rhodey and a word of thanks shared between the two, Thor was back on his way. As much as he wanted to stay, he knew he couldn’t remain too long in the realm of the mortals and he needed to head home, least he draw unnecessary attention and suspicion.</p><p>“Thor! You made it back!” shouted his friend Frandal once Thor managed to find a connection point and return home. Thor just smiled and nodded. He explained how he found his way back but not of what happened. He didn’t want to betray Tony’s trust over all the secrets he had shared.     </p><p>His friends and Loki just laughed along and praised him for getting off of such a backwater planet. Thor faked his smile at that compliment. In the short time there Thor had learned a lot and honestly, Midgard seemed a fair bit like Asgard. They just didn’t have as advanced technology yet. Although, with someone like Tony there, things were sure to improve very quickly.</p><p>The rest of the day Thor joked around with his friends and brother while avoiding Heimdall. That man saw all and there was no doubt that he would get Thor in trouble for what he did. So, Thor just did his own things and avoided the man. Although, throughout the day, Thor’s mind kept turning back to Tony. He hoped that he was doing alright. He hoped that his friend was making sure he was safe and alive. He didn’t want to see that small, bright spark in the universe go out. Even though he hadn’t known him for very long, Thor knew the cosmos would be a duller place if it lost Anthony Carter-Stark.</p><p>Over the next few days, Thor was feeling a bit agitated. His entire being was just itching to sneak back down to Midgard to make sure that Tony was alright. The small mortal had tugged at his heartstrings and he’d gotten attached. He wanted to see Tony get better and flourish. He wanted to be by his side. It really didn’t help that Thor had realized that’s he’d developed a small crush on him.</p><p>So, Thor did the only sane thing he could think of. He snuck out of the palace at night and rode the branches of Yggdrasil back to where he’s first arrived. He quickly ran back to Tony’s apartment and knocked on the door with excitement. It was early in the evening on Midgard so Thor was expecting someone to be home.</p><p>He was very excited when Tony opened the door.    </p><p>“I thought that was all a dream.” Whispered Tony as he looked up at Thor. “I thought it was all fake until I saw the little charm.”</p><p>“I can assure you that it was very real Little Tony. I did promise I would return didn’t I.”</p><p>Seconds later the two were hugging and Tony was trying not to cry. His saviour and new friend had returned. He’d kept his promise unlike so many before. That alone meant the world to Tony. And Thor? Well, he was just happy that Tony was still there upon his return. He wasn’t sure how he’d feel if he lost the small genius. But now that he had him back, things just felt right.</p><p>On Asgard, there was often talk of finding the right soul to compliment one’s own, and Thor was beginning to think that’s he’d found that in Tony. Only time would tell and Thor was positive that he wanted to be there. After all, he had what felt like all the time in the world.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Lovers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>EEEYYYYY! It’s time for chapter 2! Who’s ready. Be warned, there is smut at the end so just be prepared for that. I’m glad that everyone is enjoying this fic so far. Thank you all for the positive response. And with that, on with the fic. I’ll see you at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Once Thor had had a taste of sneaking down to Midgard to be with Tony, he found that he couldn’t stop. Each time he left he found that the thought of Tony would call to him like a drug. Thor found he was happiest when he was on Midgard with Tony.</p><p>Thor tried to return at least once a week. He wanted to make sure that Tony was still alive and had something to hold onto. Every time Thor showed up at his and Rhodey’s apartment Tony’s face lit up with a smile. He often told Thor that he and Rhodey were so far the only real constants in his life. Thor did not want to disappoint him.   </p><p>Every time Thor came down to Midgard, they both learned something new about each other. And everything just made Thor slowly fall in love with Tony. Tony would show him around where he lived. He was still going to school to earn his doctorates which Thor understood to be very prestigious. So, they spent a lot of time on campus. They’d go to Tony’s favourite coffee shop and just talk for hours. Thor very quickly got just as addicted to coffee as Tony was even though Tony wasn’t supposed to have caffeine with everything going on with his body.</p><p>Every time Thor would come to visit he’d bring some new stories from his home. He told stories of all the trouble he and his friends had gotten into. How Loki was doing with his magic. How his mother was going. And in turn, Tony told him more about himself.  </p><p>Thor learned of Tony’s two AI bots DUM-E and U and how he was working on a third one. He learned more about Tony’s home life. He learned about Edwin and Ana Jarvis who looked after Tony and tried to protect him whenever he was staying with Howard and Maria Stark. He learned of the tension when he stayed with his mother. His step-father Daniel wasn’t too happy with the situation, but he never took his displeasure out on Tony. He at least tried to be a parent. He learned that Tony was scared of his hearing going to the point where he’d need hearing aids and that sometimes his medication wouldn’t work and he’d have bad days.</p><p>And that was how Thor found Tony one day after knowing Tony for a year. On one of his bad days.</p><p>The visit had started as normal. Thor snuck away from Asgard under the guise of going to Vanaheim to work on his swordsmanship. But of course, Thor didn’t go to Vanaheim. He went back to MIT to visit Tony. It was right before the end of the year exams and Thor knew that Tony could use a break. But once Thor arrived and knocked on the door, it wasn’t Tony that greeted him, but Rhodey.</p><p>“Oh, it’s you. Thank god. Maybe you can get him to eat something.” Sighed Rhodey as he lead Thor into the apartment.</p><p>Thor was going to ask what was going on but he very quickly got an answer to his question when he was met with the sight on Tony curled up in bed with a cold pack on his neck and a blindfold over his eyes to keep him from attempting to focus on things.</p><p>Thor was almost positive that Tony was having a bad day. Tony had told Thor in the past that he often felt hot when he was having a dizzy spell and that trying to look at things, especially lots of information at once, hurt. So, he kept his eyes covered.</p><p>“Hey, Tony. Are you faring well?” asked Thor. He knew it was a dumb question but it was better than nothing.</p><p>“No… too dizzy.” Came a voice from within the blankets and pillows covering the bed.      </p><p>“I’m sorry svass. I know you do not feel well.” Soothed Thor, although he was a tiny bit confused. He had no idea where the endearment came from, but it just felt right when referring to Tony. “But… you do need to try and eat something. You will feel worse if you do not.”</p><p>All Tony could really do was whine a bit and flail an arm out at Thor. Thor just smiled a bit and accepted the soup that Rhodey had prepared. By some miracle, he managed to get Tony to eat something. Rhodey was thankful. He’d been trying to get Tony to eat all afternoon and was at his wit's end. By the end of his meal, Tony was beginning to shiver a bit from the cold pack. So, Thor did the first thing that came to his mind to help.</p><p>He climbed into bed behind Tony and cuddled him until they both fell asleep.</p><p>And it wasn’t like either of them minded. Both Thor and Tony had realized that there was a slowly growing attraction to each other. And that really was the thing, wasn’t it? This budding romance that spanned across the stars. Neither really knew how to bring this all up with the other. But did things really need to be said? They made each other happy. Tony felt calmer and more at ease when Thor was around. Thor felt content and smiled most of the time/ Sure, there were bumps in the rode. Life isn’t without them.</p><p>But this? This was something else entirely and neither were entirely sure how to navigate it.          </p><p>So Thor did the only logical thing he could really think of when he returned back home to Asgard. He asked his mother for advice on how to properly court and show someone you are interested in them. Now that was a bit of an awkward conversation. His mother asked a LOT of questions and Thor was hesitant to answer some of them. He didn’t want to reveal that he was sneaking down to Midgard to meet with Tony in secret. He knew his mother wouldn’t have a problem with him courting another male, even though it was uncommon on Asgard. Thor was more scared about the fact that Tony was mortal and his family would not approve. Tony was not royalty even though he was very well known on Midgard because of his father and some slander that was printed about him. Sure, Tony may have slept around a bit in the past before Thor was in the picture but that didn’t give people the right to say mean things about him for everybody to read.</p><p>In the end, Thor did end up getting some helpful advice from his mother. She always knew the best ways to help. Thor was glad he could count on her.</p><p>So, a few weeks later Thor made his way down to Midgard once more to visit Tony. It was kind of an important visit. Tony was to receive his first of three doctorates in a graduation ceremony and Thor had promised he’d be there. Tony’s mother was also slated to be there and he knew he had to impress her. Thor had even procured a Midgardian suit to wear for the occasion. He had a feeling his normal formal wear would stand out just a little bit too much.</p><p>Thor wasn’t entirely too sure what he should be doing while the whole thing happened. He just took a seat right at the back and watched for Tony. When his name was called and he began walking the stage Thor cheered and clapped along with everyone else but he couldn’t help but beam at seeing Tony receive a very high honour. Thor had seen Tony’s thesis. This was very well deserved.</p><p>When the whole thing was over, Thor left his seat to go and find Tony.</p><p>He found Tony in his cap and gown talking with a woman in a dark blue pantsuit and a bright red hat. Beside her was a tall, slender man in a black suit with a huge smile on his face. Tony was smiling as he talked to them but when he noticed Thor was there he went running towards him and the two met in a tight hug.    </p><p>“Thor! You made it!” smiled Tony as he looked up at Thor with sparkling eyes.</p><p>“Of course I am here, svass. I would hate to miss this.”</p><p>“Here, I want to introduce you to my mom and Jarvis.” Smiled Tony as he took Thor’s hand and dragged him over to where his mother and Jarvis were waiting. Both looked a bit surprised at Tony’s actions and at Thor’s appearance. Thor felt a bit taken aback by the looks they were shooting him, but he didn’t pay them any mind. Tony was happy and that was what happened.</p><p>“Thor, this is my mom and this is Jarvis.” Smiled Tony as he introduced Thor to his family. “Mom, Jarvis, this is Thor.”</p><p>“It is a pleasure to meet you. Tony has said many things about the two of you.” Spoke Thor politely as he put his hand out for them to shake. They each shook Thor’s hands and looked up at the man. Thor was quite tall so nearly everyone needed to look up at him. Thor didn’t mind the looks he got for his height. He liked being tall.</p><p>“Now Tony dear, I wish I could stay a little longer but I must be on my way back to SHIELD.” Spoke Peggy after the introductions had been finished.</p><p>“Ok, Mom. I understand.” Frowned Tony as he hugged his mother and Jarvis. They didn’t stick around for much longer and it made Thor sad to see that the people who often made Tony happy didn’t stick around for long. This was a major achievement and Tony deserved to celebrate it with people.</p><p>“Hey, Tony. Why don’t we head back to you’re apartment and celebrate with pizza and ice cream? We can even watch movies on that movie device you showed me.” Smiled Thor as he started steering Tony towards the exit.</p><p>“You mean the VCR?”</p><p>“YES! THE VCR!” exclaimed Thor and his antics got Tony to smile.</p><p>And, as promised, Thor and Tony spent the rest of the day eating pizza, ice cream, and watching movies on the VCR. The entire time Thor had Tony tucked up against him, nice and comfortable. Thor couldn’t help but spend the day smiling at Tony. He was so proud of him for succeeding and continuing to live despite everything. He was happy that he got to share this time with Tony. He was such a bright light in Thor’s life. He wouldn’t know what to do if he lost him.</p><p>Thor had become so caught up in his thoughts of Tony that he didn’t realize what he was doing at first. Just as the credits were rolling on their third movie of the evening, Thor pulled Tony closer to him and gave him a kiss on the forehead. Thor pulled back a little in shock when he felt Tony stiffen in his arms. But very quickly Tony relaxed and looked back at Thor.</p><p>“You missed.” Spoke Tony as he looked up at Thor with his big brown eyes.</p><p>“I’m sorry?”</p><p>“You missed.”</p><p>And then Tony leant up and kissed Thor right on the mouth.</p><p>That gentle kiss was the best Thor had ever had in his life. It was like a soothing balm that covered his entire being. All Thor could do was hold Tony closer and just relax into the feeling. It felt right kissing Tony. Like he’d been missing a piece and he’d found it in his little genius.</p><p>By the time they separated both were blushing like mad. But neither really cared. Thor was smiling like a loon as he pulled Tony closer and buried his face in his hair.</p><p>“I want to court you properly. You deserve all of the nine realms svass. Let me do this for you.” Whispered Thor and Tony nodded. He hadn’t been treated properly in a long time, especially when it came to relationships. The fact that Thor wanted to take it slow and treat him right, it just made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside.</p><p>And so, the two continued to meet in secret. Even more so than before. Tony had to be careful. Howard was suspicious of him already and if he found out that Tony was dating another man, then Tony might not very well survive whenever would happen to him. So, when Tony was home for the summer months, he would sneak out at night to meet Thor in the wooded area behind the Stark mansion. They would sit there at night and look at the stars while making out and cuddling. Thor would bring stories of his homeworld and often little trinkets that Tony hid in a shoebox under some loose floorboards in his room. He would take them out and look at them when he was feeling down and alone.          </p><p>They’d been dating exclusively for a year and a half when things changed in their dynamic.</p><p>It was late December of 1991 when Thor snuck back down to Midgard. It was right before the holiday of Christmas and Thor was there to see Tony and give him a little gift. He also wanted some kisses and cuddles, but that was beside the point. It was mid-evening when he arrived outside of Tony’s bedroom window. The light was off so Thor grabbed a small pebble and threw it at the window. It struck with a light clink and Thor waited.</p><p>Nothing.</p><p>Now Thor was getting worried. He carefully walked through the snow along the outside of the mansion looking for any sign of Tony. He found it when he looked through the living room window. There was a fire in the fireplace and Tony was sitting there on the ground with a bottle next to him. Thor didn’t like the look of that so he walked in through the surprisingly unlocked back door and sat on the floor next to Tony.</p><p>Tony barely acknowledged that Thor was there. He just sat there and continued to Thor’s presence so Thor reckoned that Tony had been expecting him and had left the door open on purpose. So, Thor gently took Tony into his arms and just heled him. He hated seeing the look of just utter unrest that was painted across Tony’s face. In an effort to try and move things along, Thor reached over to move the bottle away from Tony. That was when he finally spoke up.   </p><p>“I didn’t drink any I swear. I wanted to… but I couldn’t.” came Tony’s voice from where he was tucked against Thor’s chest.</p><p>“Svass? What has gotten you so down? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you? Why is nobody else home?” asked Thor as he petted a hand over Tony’s hair.</p><p>“They’re dead. Howard and Maria. They died a week ago in a car crash because Howard was driving drunk.” Sighed Tony and Thor was speechless. He had no clue how to respond to this at all. He knew that Tony had had a horrible relationship with the man, but even so, Thor wasn’t sure how to handle this situation. All he could do was hold Tony close as he grappled with the situation at hand.  </p><p>“I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about this Thor. I just don’t know. Like, everybody is telling me I should be sad because Howard was my father and Maria helped take care of me. But I just don’t feel sad. I feel… a bit relieved, to be honest. Like, he’s dead now so he can’t hurt me anymore. Maybe… maybe I can finally be free.”   </p><p>“You are free. So free svass. He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe now with me. I won’t let anyone else hurt you. You’re free now.” Soothed Thor and Tony turned in his arms to face him. Tony’s eyes were shining with unshed tears and his hands were trembling slightly.</p><p>“I’ve got you, Tony. My sweet, sweet Tony. I’ve got you. You’re safe and so very loved with me. However you need me to help, I will be there.” Whispered Thor as he held Tony even closer yet made sure that he was still comfortable.</p><p>“Just… take me out of my head. Make me feel something other than empty. Make me feel alive for once.” Came Tony’s reply and Thor had a feeling as to what Tony was referring to.”</p><p>“Are you sure my sweet? I don’t want you to feel pressured.”</p><p>“Please Thor. Just… please.” Came Tony’s little plea and Thor knew what he needed to do.</p><p>With a little help from Tony, Thor brought him back up to his room and set him on the bed before he started kissing him senseless. Tony was practically clinging to him as he let Thor bring him pleasure. The sweet sounds that Tony made as Thor began to undress the two of them drove Thor wild. By the time they were both naked with Thor on top of Tony, they both felt ready to burst.</p><p>Tony pulled away for a split second to rummage around in his bedside table for a small tube of lube. Thor immediately got the message and was quick yet thorough in preparing his lover. He didn’t want to cause Tony any pain or discomfort by not doing things correctly.      </p><p>By the time Tony was prepared he was crying for Thor to fuck him. And, well? Thor couldn’t really say no at that point. He pushed into his love and everything seemed to fall into place. Every movement brought cries of pleasure from both of them. Their nerves were alight and their souls were one.</p><p>Tony was the first to finished. The things Thor was doing to him just got to be too much and he came screaming Thor’s name like his own personal mantra. Thor followed just moments later. Seeing Tony loose control because of his actions was breathtaking. They took a moment to catch their breaths before Thor pulled Tony into his arms so they could settle in for the night. Tony let out little sniffles and Thor kisses his forehead until Tony slowly fell into a peaceful sleep.  </p><p>Thor spent the entire night there with Tony in his arms. He didn’t sleep much. He just watched Tony snuggle close to him in contentment. He hated that Tony felt so conflicted over his emotions all the time. He hated that Tony had grown up with such turmoil and hurt. All Thor wanted to do was steal him away to somewhere where they could live out their lives in peace. Tony could create amazing inventions and Thor could read and protect them. But, with both of then heirs to different dynasties, they didn’t have much of a choice in how they lived their lives. The best they could get where these stollen moments filled with love and safety. Thor wished he could do more. He’d vowed to give Tony all of the nine realms and he meant it.</p><p>Tony meant everything to him and Thor knew he could never let his little genius go.   </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Svass means beloved or dear according to the internet. Also, please don’t come after me for Tony’s symptoms. I said it last chapter that I’m basing it all off of my symptoms and such. Everyone is going to be different. But other then that, I hope y’all liked the chapter.</p>
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<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Forging Bonds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey there! It’s time for a new chapter. This time with liberal amounts of fluff with some angst sprinkled in for good measure. Also, disclaimer. I love Peggy Carter, but in the kind of situation this is taking place in as well as how we know she gets Alzheimer’s later on, she isn’t really the best mother to Tony in this one. Sorry. I’ll see you at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the years Tony and Thor remained faithful to each other. Neither strayed. They’d found their happy ending with each other and nothing could ever change that. Not the slander printed about Tony in the papers. Not Thor’s mother trying to set him up with various suitors. Nothing. They were happy with each other. They felt safe in each other's arms. They slept better together than they did apart. They were two halves of one soul.</p><p>So, when Tony turned 25, Thor asked him to marry him.</p><p>Thor had been wanting to ask for a long time at that point. He knew that Tony was it for him. He loved everything about his beloved. He loved his fluffy hair, his new facial hair he’d been growing, his eyes, his smile. Thor even loved Tony when he was having a sick day. Tony was perfect in Thor’s eyes. So perfect that he wanted to marry him.</p><p>Thor looked a lot into Midgardian and Asgardian marriages and proposals. He wanted to blend their two worlds together just as they would their souls. Thor learnt that on Midgard you proposed with a ring. So, Thor went to the market place near the main palace of Asgard to look for the perfect on under the guise of shopping for his mother.</p><p>It took a few trips for Thor to find the perfect ring. He wanted something unique and special for Tony. He deserved that. He deserved glitter and jewels galore. Tony deserved the finest of things and Thor was intent on giving them to him. Tony worked so hard now that he’d taken over SI and was working as both engineer and CEO. Thor didn’t know much about how businesses worked, but he knew that Tony often felt overworked and exhausted and that sometimes lead to tears and frustration. Thor wished he could help and make it easier on Tony but he just didn’t know-how.</p><p>Thor was so very thankful when Tony hired Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts to assist him. With Rhodey deployed with the Air Force, he needed some friends and help for when Thor wasn’t there. Thor had had the pleasure of meeting both of them multiple times. Pepper reminded him of the tales his father would tell him and Loki about the Valkyries when they were young.</p><p>The day Thor proposed started off like any other. Thor was free for the weekend back home so he snuck down to Midgard and to Tony’s mansion in New York. He was planning to move to Malibu soon so there were loads of boxes strewn about. He and Thor had designed the new house together since Thor was considering moving to Midgard for longer periods of time. He just needed to figure out how to do that without getting in trouble.</p><p>That day he and Tony had opted to stay inside and just have a lazy day. They were curled up together in blankets in Tony’s room watching movies and munching on snacks. There was nothing inherently romantic about the situation, but both could feel the love. Plus Tony was having a good day and wasn’t feeling sick so that was a plus.  </p><p>They were just finishing up dinner together while still curled up on the bed when Thor decided to pop the question. He looked over at Tony and started peppering his face with kisses, causing the smaller man to laugh.</p><p>“Not that I don’t love all the attention, but what’s with the sudden burst of affection?” asked Tony as Thor pulled back. Thor smiled back and moved to hold Tony’s hands in his.</p><p>“I just love you very much. I love you and want to be by your side forever. You make me so happy my beloved. I wish to always remain at your side. I wish for you to marry me. So, my sweet Anthony, will you do me the great honour of marrying me?” asked Thor. He reached into the pocket of his sweatpants and brought out the ring he had chose. It was a beautiful golden band studded with diamonds forged from a nearby star to Asgard.</p><p>Tony listened to Thor’s words and looked at the ring he was holding and felt tears well up in his eyes. He nodded his head and Thor slid the ring onto his left hand. It was a perfect fit. The rest of the night Thor made sure that Tony was thoroughly satisfied. He loved seeing Tony so sated and happy. As they slept that night, Tony couldn’t help but think about how different things would have been if Thor had never found him that night on the roof. Would he still be alive? Would he have survived but be in a worse off place? Tony didn’t know. But what he did know was that he was happy. He was genuinely happy and that was because of Thor and his good friends Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper.</p><p>He never thought he’d get to be happy.</p><p>Planning a wedding when it was illegal on one of their planets and not known about on the other was hard. Thor was very saddened to hear that they couldn’t legally get married on Midgard. On Asgard, same-sex marriages were not unheard of. They were uncommon but Thor had attended some and they were very nice. His mother and Father always gave their blessing to couples who chose to marry out of love. But on Midgard, that just really wasn’t allowed.</p><p>So, the two decided to have an Asgardian style wedding in secret with Tony’s friends. If was going to be a terribly small wedding, but neither cared. The whole point of it was to join together as one and magically bond their souls together. But that got Thor thinking. He wasn’t sure how he was going to do the marriage rights on his own. Not only that, but he’d need to try and steal a golden apple to give to Tony. He didn’t want to lose his beloved too soon.</p><p>And, in thinking about marriage and apples, Thor also thought of his mother. He’d always loved his mother deeply and he really wanted her to help perform his wedding. He was just scared of Odin finding out. But he really did want his mother there. It was important to him. So, when Thor next returned back to Asgard, he went searching for his mother. He found here in her private garden reading a book will a few of the castle's servants stood nearby in case she needed anything.     </p><p>“Mother, might I be able to talk to you in private? It is important.” Asked Thor as he sat down beside his mother.</p><p>“Of course my son.” Smiled Frigga. She sent the servants away leaving just Thor and her alone in the garden.</p><p>“Now my son, what is on your mind?” asked Frigga as Thor twiddled with his thumbs a bit.</p><p>“I have been keeping a secret from you for years mother. And it’s gotten to the point where I wish to tell you because it’s important to me. But please Mother, you must promise me that you will not tell Father or Loki. I do not know how they will feel about this.” Pleaded Thor and his mother put her hands on his urging him to continue.</p><p>“The truth is, I’ve fallen in love with someone and we are engaged to be wed.”</p><p>“Oh, that is wonderful news, my son. Why have I not met her?”</p><p>“Well, um… I am not engaged to a woman. I am engaged to a man… and he is from Midgard.” Confessed Thor. He couldn’t quite look his mother in the eye after that.            </p><p>“Why don’t you tell me everything, my son.”</p><p>So Thor did. He told his mother everything. Everything from the dare and finding Tony on the roof. How he felt drawn to his tiny genius and continued to venture back through the branches to see him. He told his mother how they fell in love and made each other happy. He told his mother about all the hardships Tony had endured and how he was healing from the wounds inflicted on him. He spoke of how his beloved was often sick but that didn’t make him any less beautiful. Thor spoke with passion and conviction. He wanted his mother to understand that he loved Tony with his entire being and that he was going to be with him with our without her support. Although, Thor very much still wanted his mother’s support.   </p><p>By the end of everything, Thor’s mother had agreed to meet his beloved and help with their wedding. She just wanted to see her son happy. And if Thor was happy with a man from Midgard she wasn’t going to take that away from him.  </p><p>But, where Thor’s mother was supporting, Tony’s was… not so much. Well, she was more absent-minded and forgetful as of late but it still hurt what had happened.</p><p>“Mom. It’s my wedding day. I want you there. This is important.” Pleaded Tony as he sat on the sofa in his house. He was on the phone with his mother back in New York.   </p><p>“I’m sorry Tony, but Rebecca needs help planning for her baby shower.”</p><p>“Wait! Rebecca’s pregnant?”</p><p>“Yes. Shouldn’t you have known that?”</p><p>“She doesn’t talk to me.”</p><p>“Well, I need to be there for your sister.”</p><p>“But Mom, it’s one day. Please, I know you think Matthew and Rebecca are more important then I am but PLEASE! This is my wedding!”</p><p>“I’m sorry Tony but I need to be there for your sister. I’m sure it will be a lovely day regardless.”</p><p>Tony didn’t stay on the phone after that. It hurt that his mother wasn’t going to be at his wedding. It hurt that she wasn’t really there much to begin with. Tony practically grew up without any really parental love. Maybe it was time to just leave that all behind. Maybe it was time to just go out on his own and be free. He had Thor by his side along with a few trusted friends. He could do this. He could do this on his own.   </p><p>He could be ok. Even if it hurt, he could be ok.</p><p>The wedding was small. Like, really small. Only Rhodey, Mama Rhodes, Rhodey’s sister, Happy, and Pepper were in attendance. Thor’s mother, Frigga was the one to perform marriage rights. Their marriage wouldn’t be legal on Midgard so Thor and Tony wanted to do everything possible to make it legal on Asgard.  </p><p>The ceremony was nice. It was calming and joyful. Frigga preformed the ancient Asgardian rights and spells to bind their souls together for eternity. The entire time Tony and Thor were smiling like loons. They were just so happy that this was happening. They even got to exchange rings as per the Midgardian custom. They had matching gold bands that seemed to shine like stars.</p><p>And then came that part that both Thor and Tony were nervous about. For a while, Thor was even convinced that it wouldn’t even happy. He nearly cried when he found out that it was. Frigga had managed to secure a golden apple for Tony to eat. So, not only were their souls bound but now Tony would live in youth alongside Thor for thousands of years bar any unforeseen incidents.</p><p>They had a party after back at Tony and Thor’s new place. There were cake and movies and food. Thor had a lot of fun introducing his mother to Midgardian customs. They all had a lot of fun. But, even so, Tony was sad that his mother, step-father, and siblings weren’t there. Sure, he didn’t get to see them often growing up and his siblings weren’t his biggest fans, but he still wanted his family there for him on this day. He had nobody after Jarvis and Ana had passed not long after Howard and Maria. He felt empty and alone without anybody but his friends there, but at least he had Thor. His knight in shining armour.</p><p>The two newlyweds ended up going to bed a little bit earlier that night to spend some alone time together. There wasn’t much talking of they stripped each other of their clothes. Thor in his traditional robes and Tony in a nice black suit. A perfect blending of their different planets.</p><p>They fell back together into the sheets and spend most of the night consummating their marriage. Tender sentiments were exchanged as they laid together in the rumpled sheets by the light of the moon. They slept peacefully in each other’s arms as they rode the joy of the day. They were married now. Bound forever together. And they were so, so happy.     </p><p>One little thing that Tony and Thor had failed to consider was that the media would pick up on the fact that Tony was wearing a ring all the time. A very obvious wedding ring. In the weeks following their wedding, Tony had been photographed with the ring on multiple times and the media was spinning story after story. It got so crazy that Tony eventually just went out and told the world that he was married and committed to his partner and anybody saying he cheated was a liar.</p><p>There was wild speculation as to who Tony’s wife was and Tony loathed to tell the world that he was married to a man. He kept that part very secret. If people found out it could very well spell disaster. Especially if Stane found out. He just thought Thor was a friend he’d met from Norway at MIT. Tony was never going to correct that assumption. He was happy to keep his secret from the public if It meant that he and Thor got to be happy.  </p><p>And fuck were they happy. After all, it isn’t every day you get to marry the love of your life. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yay! They’re married! They’re married and Frigga is supportive and Tony got the apple. At least they can be happier together. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I thought it was pretty cute. Let me know what you thought in the comments. I’ll see you soon. -Shadows  </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. You're my home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey there! It’s time for a new chapter. Sorry, this took so long. This one goes all over the place so I hope you’re ready. I’ll see y’all at the end. Also, fun fact. Meniere’s can cause you’re hearing to go all sorts of screwy. This comes from experience. I wear hearing aids to help with my hearing and to help with my dizziness. I have a love-hate relationship with them, just as Tony will. You’ll see.  </p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As the years continued on, so did Thor and Tony. Now that Queen Frigga knew of their relationship, she found more and more convincing excuses for Thor to be away from home so he could be with his beloved. Thor loved that about his mother. Once she’d met Tony she absolutely loved him and gave him some much needed motherly love along with Mama Rhodes.</p><p>Thor and Tony continued to love each other fiercely. But still, the people of Midgard continued to just think that Tony had an overly affectionate friend from Norway. It was kind of a surprise that nobody caught on. Tony even brought Thor as his date to a New Years' Eve even in Cern for the change of the millennium. Thor remembered that night. He kissed Tony stupid while they were alone in their room as fireworks exploded in the distance. There was a slight hiccup to the night when a strange man kept asking to talk with Tony. He was making Tony uncomfortable so Thor told him to ignore the man and he would probably go away.  </p><p>Something the media kept bringing up over time was that Tony didn’t really seem to age much past 25 when he’d bonded to Thor. It was because of the magic used and the apple Tony ate, but the world didn’t know that. Tony just told them that he was just blessed with eternal good looks. They all thought it was plastic surgery. Tony didn’t bother to try and correct them.  </p><p>One of the bigger things that had happened over the years was that Tony noticed that his hearing started to deteriorate. It sucked. It really did. Sure, Tony knew that it was going to happen eventually, but that didn’t make him feel any better about it. Thor was there to comfort Tony when he got the test results back.</p><p>Tony absolutely hated the fact that he needed hearing aids to help him in his everyday life. He hated that it was a very visible mark to the world that he was sick. He didn’t want people to know. So, he created his own aids. Little ones that were nearly invisible and had an uplink to his new AI JARVIS. Tony was proud of his invention, but he still hated the situation he was in. Thor just helped comfort Tony when he could.</p><p>Things were going pretty well for a while there. Thor spent more and more time on Midgard and Tony began trying to steer his company away from weapons development. He didn’t like it because it reminded him of all the times Howard would have him try and perfect different bombs as a child. He's always come out of those sessions bleeding somewhere. It was a tough process and it was taking a very long time to start moving forward, especially with SI full of old men stuck in their ways like Obadiah Stane. He kept pushing Tony to go overseas to do more weapons demos because he wanted bigger and better weapons.</p><p>Thor wished he’d never left his beloved alone with the man for even a second.</p><p>It all started in early May of 2008. Thor was being summoned back to Asgard because he was needed for a few royal duties and to help fight in a war against some other race. He was going to miss Tony’s birthday and he didn’t know how long it would be before he got to come back.</p><p>They celebrated Tony’s birthday a day before Thor left and the day before Tony was to leave for Afghanistan to do a weapons demonstration with Rhodey. Tony was supposed to attend some sort of ceremony that day but they blew it off. Rhodey, Happy, and Pepper were there and they threw Tony a bit of a party. They ate cake and watched movies. Thor even gave Tony a little present. It was a forging hammer he’d brought back from Asgard.</p><p>And once their friends had left for the night, the two made love as the stars shone in the sky.</p><p>The next morning was… not as fun Pepper woke them both up because Tony was running late and Thor also had to go. They scrambled to get dressed while Pepper waited outside impatiently. By the time they were dressed and ready, neither wanted to part.</p><p>“You promise me you’ll be safe Thor. Promise me you’ll come back to me.” Whispered Tony as Thor held him close in his arms. They were standing in the doorway just holding each other close while Happy and Pepper waited.</p><p>“I will svass. And you keep yourself safe. I don’t like the thought of you going into a war zone. Please return to me unharmed.”</p><p>“I will.”</p><p>Neither wanted to part way. And, if they knew what was about to happen, they wouldn’t have.</p><p>Two days after they parted, Tony found himself having open-heart surgery in a cave and Thor was gearing up for war.</p><p>Tony hated every moment he was in that cave. He hated the persistent pain in his chest. He hated seeing the weapons he made in the hands of the wrong people. He hated feeling sick and dizzy all the time now that he didn’t have any access to his medication. He hated not being able to hear clearly what was going on because his hearing aids got trashed and waterlogged. He hated the waterboarding and the new arc reactor in his chest. All the pain and yelling that was constantly happening made Tony feel shaky and anxious. It reminded him too much of growing up with Howard and all the trauma he went through then.</p><p>Tony hoped that people were looking for him. Rhodey, Pepper, Happy, maybe even his mom. Although he and Daniel were in a retirement home and his mom had Alzheimer’s. Maybe they’d send Matthew and Rebecca, although that was very, very unlikely. Thor didn’t even know he was missing and hurting. He was off fighting in his own war.</p><p>Trying to get back home to Thor was really the only thing keeping Tony going. His mind was often stuck in a loop, flitting between his childhood, the thought that someone pretty high up in his company was selling his weapons to the wrong people, and the pain he was feeling constantly. He just wanted to go home.</p><p>He made a suit of armour to get himself out of there with the help of a man named Yinson. He lit the place a flame and burned it all to the ground after he saw that Yinson had died to help him get home. Yinson had been an amazingly kind man. He was a doctor who knew a bit of Tony’s affliction and helped when he could. He understood that there were a lot of lies printed in the media about Tony and helped Tony in his quest to return home to his husband and to finally push Stane out to shut down weapons manufacturing. Tony even trusted Yinson enough to tell him about Thor.</p><p>Tony wished that they had both made it out of that cave.</p><p>Tony didn’t remember much about his rescue. He remembered the heat on his back and the burns on his arms. He remembered the burning pain in his chest and the possible break in his arm. He sort of remembered Rhodey coming to his rescue and getting him some medical attention. He remembered having a panic attack when a doctor at base went near his chest. Everything else after that was pretty blank until he got back home.</p><p>Once he was home, however, all bets were off. He held a press conference and shut down weapons development. He never liked it anyway. He preferred to make robots and AI and just have fun with his work. Thor liked the robots better anyway.</p><p>People were not very happy about the change for SI. Stane especially. But Tony paid him no mind. He had bigger projects in mine. He refined his suit of armour and used it to take to the skies and destroy all of his weapons. Nobody was going to be hurt from them ever again if he had any say in it. And then he learned that it was Stane who was dealing under the table to terrorists.</p><p>Then there was the whole fight where Stane stole his reactor right out of his chest. It had hurt so bad and Tony was sure he was going to die. Luckily Rhodey showed up to help out. Tony didn’t like having Stane’s blood on his hands. But the man tried to kill him twice and then tried to kill Pepper. They didn’t really have a choice at the time on how to handle the situation. Tony had nearly died twice that night.  </p><p>The next day the world dubbed him as Iron Man and went crazy when they learned it was Tony in the suit.</p><p>For a while there Tony thought things were going to be alright. He was gaining some popularity with the media. Kids absolutely loved his armour and he made a point to visit hospitals to let the kids see it and to teach them all some science. Plus he wasn’t going to say no to holding a baby. Tony loved babies. They made him feel calm.</p><p>And then the palladium poisoning hit.</p><p>Heavy metal poisoning was not a pleasant way to die. Tony felt even sicker than he normally did. He was working twice as hard to try and get things done before he died. He spent every day writing a letter to Thor about how he was doing and what had happened. He didn’t want to leave his husband with nothing.</p><p>There were a lot of nights where Tony laid in bed and cried over Thor not being there. He missed him so much. Sure, Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey were there but they couldn’t be with him all the time. Tony had given Pepper the title of CEO of SI so she could continue to make sure they never made weapons again. Happy was almost always with her nowadays. Rhodey was always busy with the Air Force too. They’d switched to Hammer Tech for weapons and it was laughable. Rhodey always tried to call him to joke about it. Those calls were the only thing holding Tony together.</p><p>And then there was SHIELD. His mother must have called in a favour of something after the one disastrous call he’d had with her. He’d called just to talk because he was dying and was hoping that his mom would help a bit. There was some yelling and Tony had been feeling dizzy and sick the entire time. His nose had started bleeding in the middle of the call and that must have alarmed his mom because two weeks later Nick Fury and one of his spies, Natasha Romanov, where at his door with boxes of Howards old things and a needle that was stabbed into his neck without his consent.</p><p>“What the fuck was that for?” shouted Tony as he tried to keep his rising panic attack under control.</p><p>“It’s to take the edge off. We know about the palladium poisoning Carter-Stark. Your mother expressed some concern over your last video call so we started poking around. Took the liberty of bringing in some of your father’s old notes to help you find a cure.” Spoke Fury and Tony scowled. He hated when people invaded his privacy and then called Howard his father. That mad was nothing to him.</p><p>“I don’t want his things.” Snapped Tony but he was pushed to the side and the items were brought it. But Tony noticed that Agent Coulson was there and Tony liked the man so the night was not hopeless.   </p><p>“Where’s that wife of yours Carter-Stark? Nobody's ever seen her. Is she even real?” prodded Natasha and Tony frowned. He didn’t like this. He knew that this woman was a super spy. He was surrounded by spies. He wouldn’t be able to hide much. So, he told a half-truth to appease his unwanted guests.</p><p>“I’m not married to a woman. I’m married to a man. We got married somewhere where it wasn’t completely illegal.” Spoke Tony as he fidgeted with the ring on his finger. He really was missing Thor. He hoped that he was alive out there. Alive and safe.</p><p>“A man? Wasn’t expecting that. Who is he?” asked Coulson with a smile as he brought in another box of long ago forgotten notes and gizmos.</p><p>“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you. He’s not even here right now. He’s off fighting in a war. I just want him to come back.”</p><p>That was all Tony had to say on the mater.</p><p>From there Tony was pretty much on house arrest while he was forced to go through Howards old notes in hope of a cure of his condition. SHIELD wanted him alive because of Iron Man. It kind of sucked. Only a very small handful of people had wanted Tony just for himself. He could count them all on one hand. Everyone else wanted something from him. Apparently SHIELD wanted his money and his brain. Never Tony. It was never just Tony.</p><p>And that lead into one of the most depressing birthdays Tony had ever had. Nothing would ever compare to the birthday where Howard had beaten him so bad that he ended up in the hospital for two weeks, but this was close. Tony was stuck in constant supervision going through his abuser's old notes trying to find a way to save himself. But Tony didn’t really care about himself. He only cared enough to keep himself alive for Thor. He’s promised him that all those years ago. He wasn’t going to break his promise.   </p><p>Luckily, he found some old notes on something called the Tesseract and Tony was able to use it as a blueprint to make a new element. But that was after he’d had to watch a video where Howard outright called him the world's greatest disappointment. That really hurt.                 </p><p>One day after Tony’s very sad birthday he was off to fix things with the Stark Expo. Hammer had teamed up with some guy who had a grudge on Howard and had unleashed havoc on the world with a whole army of killer robots. Also, they both blamed Tony for their lives going wrong despite the fact that everything was either on Howard or was their own faults. They didn’t care and Tony with Rhodey’s help ended up taking out Vanko while Hammer went to jail for his crimes. Good riddance. Rhodey loved the suit that Tony gave him to help out and Tony promised that he could keep it.</p><p>And then there was the little problem of Romanov and her stupid profile. The entire time Fury had her scouting him for something. Turned out it was for something called “The Avengers”, and the profile she made on him hurt. Iron Man: Yes. Tony Carter-Stark: Not Recommended.</p><p>He hated how people only saw him for how useful he could be and not as a person.    </p><p>Not even a day after the whole expo fiasco was over Tony had managed to get back home and was attempting to get some rest. He really needed rest. His head hadn’t stopped spinning in days. His meds weren’t working and his ears hurt like someone was stabbing hot nails into them. He just wanted to sleep and heal up a bit. That’s it. Just sleep, eat, and maybe cry a little bit because he was in pain and missed Thor.   </p><p>And then his stupid phone just had to go off.</p><p>Meanwhile Thor was also having a bad time.</p><p>The fighting had lasted a lot longer then he wanted it too. After he’d arrived back on Asgard he had a month to prepare with his father and Asgard’s army. He got to spend a bit of time training with his friends on Asgard as well as Loki so that made up for the boring humdrum of life around the palace.</p><p>The battle itself was long, taking many months of time on the particular planet they were on. There were days where Thor just felt the sheer exhaustion that came with battle. All he wanted to do was take a nap and return home to his husband. He felt an aching in his heart that deepened every single day he was separated from his love.</p><p>Before Thor knew it, an entire year had passed back on Midgard.</p><p>In that time they’d managed to take down their enemy and secure a new trade route with the citizens there that had saved. The corrupt government was gone and the people were free. Thor hoped that Tony would be proud of what he’d done when he returned to tell him.</p><p>And boy was Thor excited to return to his beloved. It had been too long since he’d held Tony in his arms and made love to him. He didn’t feel complete when he was away from him. Thor really just wanted to go back to Midgard and relax. He wanted to leave and take a break and that lead to a huge argument with his father. There was a lot of shouting and barbs and insults were thrown. Odin even went as far as to insult Thor’s battle and leadership skills in an effort to make Thor stay home for more training.     </p><p>“Fine then. I’ll just return to my Tony. At least he appreciates me.” Snarked Thor and Odin turned back to him with fury in his eye.</p><p>“Who is this Tony you speak of boy?”</p><p>And that was when Thor knew he’d fucked up.</p><p>“Shit…”</p><p>Who is Tony?” snarked back Odin and Thor knew there was no getting out of this.</p><p>“He’s… he’s my husband… from… Midgard.” Spoke Thor, his voice hitched a bit as he braced himself for more yelling. It didn’t help that his friends and brother were close by and no doubt all judging him.</p><p>“A husband?! From MIDGARD!?” shouted Odin. “How long has this been going on?”</p><p>“Umm… 21 Midgardian years…” stuttered Thor. He just knew that was going to end badly.</p><p>“21! 21 years! You’ve been a traitor to the throne for 21 YEARS!” Odin was getting louder and louder and getting increasingly closer to Thor’s personal space.</p><p>“I AM NOT A TRAITOR!” shouted Thor as the walls shook with his rage. “ALL I DID WAS FIND LOVE. WHAT MATTER IS IT IF HE IS FROM MIDGARD? I LOVE TONY AND HE LOVES ME!”   </p><p>“If you love Midgard so much as to marry someone from that backwater planet the why don’t you perish there? You have betrayed the throne with your lies. You're NOT WORTHY! I cast you out!”</p><p>Thor didn’t even have a second to process what his father had said before he was dragged away by his father summoning the Bifrost with his staff. Thor was quickly ripped away from his home and shot off into the cosmos on a one way trip to Midgard. He landed on the sandy ground with a thud and his back spasmed a bit. With a groan Thor stood up to try and figure out where he was.   </p><p>And then he promptly got hit by a van.</p><p>“Ah fuck.” Muttered Thor as he held his side and stumbled back to his feet from where he’d fallen.</p><p>“Oh my god! Are you alright?” asked a woman as she got out of the van. She was followed by an older man and another woman who was probably not much other then Tony was when he’d first met him.</p><p>“I am… alright.” Grumbled Thor.</p><p>“I’m so sorry for hitting you with the van. Are you sure you’re alright?” asked the woman once more as she gave Thor a once over.</p><p>“I’m alright. Nothing is broken or bleeding. It takes more than getting hit to take me out.” Smiled Thor a bit. Although he’d been coming to Midgard for decades now he hadn’t quite mastered talking with people outside of his and Tony’s circle of friends.</p><p>“Yeah, with all those muscles I bet it does.” Joked the smaller woman and Thor looked over at her.</p><p>“Again, I’m so sorry. My name is Jane by the way. Jane Foster. Over there is Dr. Erik Selvig and my assistant Darcy Lewis.” Introduced Jane and Thor reached out to shake all of their hands. He may be a bit of a brute sometimes but his mother had taught him well in etiquette.      </p><p>“My name is Thor Odinson.”</p><p>“I’m glad your alright Thor. Is there anything I can do to help you?”</p><p>“Do you perhaps have a phone I could borrow? I… I need to call my husband.”</p><p>“Sure, here you go. Again, I’m so, so sorry.” Sputtered Jane as she handed Thor a well-loved smartphone. It was already open to the phone app and Thor was quick to type in Tony’s number. He’d memorized it a long while ago just in case he needed it. He was glad he had. The phone rang three times before it was answered.</p><p>“Hello?” came an exhausted voice from the other end.</p><p>“Tony, svass? It’s me. It’s Thor.”</p><p>“Thor! It’s really you?” spoke Tony on the other end. His voice sounded broken and it broke Thor’s heart.</p><p>“It’s me svass. It’s me. I’m uh… I’m a little stuck. My father found out about us and cast me out. I’m… I’m not sure where I am really. I believe I’m somewhere in America. This nice lady lent me her phone so I could call you.” Spoke Thor a bit sheepishly. He knew he had some explaining to do once Tony got him.   </p><p>“I’m tracking the phone. Just stay with the people you’re with. You’re in New Mexico. I’ll get there as fast as I can.”</p><p>“Thank you my love.”</p><p>“I… I missed you, Thor. I really, really missed you.” Spoke Tony. Thor could tell that his husband was probably near tears and hurting. Thor just wanted to make that stop.</p><p>“I missed you too svass. I cannot wait to see you.”</p><p>“I’ll be there soon Thor. Just stick with the people you’re with and I’ll find you, alright?”</p><p>“Of course.”</p><p>And with that the line went dead and Thor handed Jane back her phone. He told the trio that his husband had asked him to stay with them because he was tracking the phone signal and would be there shortly. They agreed to help him mostly because Jane felt bad for hitting him with her van. They all piled in and started driving back to the place they were working out of in silence.</p><p>“So… homophobic dad. That sucks.” Spoke Darcy in an attempt to lessen the awkward silence.</p><p>“Something like that.” Grimaced Thor. In truth he wasn’t sure what part of the situation had his father more furious. The fact that Tony was a man or that he was from Midgard.</p><p>He didn’t know which one made him feel worse.</p><p>They were quick to get Thor set up with a few first-aid supplies while that waited for Tony. Thor had no idea how long it would be before Tony showed up. It would probably be hours before he saw him. As they exited the van and headed into a small, abandoned building, Thor looked around his surroundings. He was in a very small town with not much around. He felt uneasy. He hoped Tony arrived soon. Jane lead him inside and sat him down on the lone couch in the corner while she and Selvig got to their own work.  </p><p>“Would you like some coffee Mr. Thor?” asked Darcy as she pattered around the office while Jane and Selvig did some work at their computers.</p><p>“That would be lovely. Thank you. I remember when my husband first introduced it to me. I liked it so much I accidentally broke the mug he’d given me.” Smiled Thor as he thought back to that afternoon.</p><p>“How long have you and your husband known each other?” asked Darcy as she walked over with two cups of coffee.</p><p>“We met when he was almost 18. It’s been about 21 years but we’ve been married for around 14.”</p><p>Damn! That’s pretty impressive. What does he do for a living?”</p><p>“He’s an inventor. He makes amazing things like robots and AIs. He’s an incredible genius. I’m so proud of him.” Smiled Thor.</p><p>And from there he just went on rambling about his husband and his accomplishments. Although he was proud, he didn’t mention Tony by name. He wanted to protect his beloved’s privacy. He didn’t want the wrong people to know and have Tony get hurt. Not that he didn’t think these people weren’t nice. They were. Thor just didn’t know them well enough to make the decision to trust them. Plus Tony would be arriving to get him and they would probably see him then.</p><p>“Wait a minute. Is your husband Tony Cater-Stark?” asked Darcy and before Thor could reply, he was interrupted by Jane.</p><p>“Don’t be silly Darcy. The papers say he’s married to a woman. They’ve said that for years.”</p><p>“I don’t know. Everything Thor said matches up to some of the things we know about that guy. Thor said his husband is a genius who makes robots and weapons even though he doesn’t really like to. Thor also said his husband owns his company and has a friend in the military. Not to mention the fact that he graduated from MIT. That totally sounds like Tony Carter-Stark.” Argued Darcy and Jane shot her a look.</p><p>“It’s probably just a coincidence Darcy.”</p><p>“Whatever. If I’m right you owe me 10 bucks.” Jane just snorted and got back to her work.</p><p>Thor wasn’t too sure what to do with himself. He’d been there for about an hour now and all he wanted was Tony. Luckily, he didn’t have to wait very long. There was a metallic clanging from outside and they all ran out to see what was going on. There, in front of the building was Tony clambering to get out of a bright red and gold armoured suit. Thor instantly knew something was terribly wrong when Tony moved towards him with heavy feet, sallow skin, and a glowing blue light in his chest. They two collapsed in a hug together and held each other close.       </p><p>“I WAS RIGHT! Jane, you own me 10 bucks!” cheered Darcy excitedly but Thor paid her no mind.</p><p>“I missed you so much, Thor.” Whispered Tony as he smushed his face into Thor’s chest.</p><p>“My beloved, you look sick. What is that light in your heart? What has happened?” worried Thor as he wrapped his arms around Tony’s back.</p><p>“Not here. Not now. Just happy you’re back.”</p><p>Jane was kind enough to lead them inside so that Tony would sit down. He clearly needed the rest. They all sat around on the furniture there and Thor pulled Tony onto his lap and held him impossibly close. He didn’t want to let him go. Tony was in the same boat. He’d been through so much, he just wanted to be with his husband where he could be safe.  </p><p>“Thor… What happened?” asked Tony. And Thor, never being one to deny Tony anything, told him everything.</p><p>He told the room about the battle he’d been fighting in over the last year. He explained everything that had happened and how exhausted and angry he was when he got home only to have his father insult him in front of his friends and how he just snapped and said he would rather be with Tony. He told them how that statement backed him into a corner and he had no choice but to tell his father everything. Again this was all in front of his brother and friends. He told them how his father had become furious and called him a traitor to the throne for finding love outside of Asgard and how he was cast out. During his retelling, Thor couldn’t help but rest his head against Tony’s and close his eyes. He’d missed his beloved so much. He was just happy to be with him again, even if the circumstances sucked.  </p><p>“So he just kicked you out! That BASTARD!” shouted Tony.</p><p>“Yeah, I agree. That’s pretty shitty man.” Agreed Darcy and everyone nodded along.</p><p>“Wait, so you're saying that you’re really the god of thunder and from an entirely different planet?!” asked Jane as she scooted a little closer, her curiosity getting the better of her.</p><p>“I am.” Answered Thor. “I originally came down to Midgard on a dare from one of my friends. That’s when I met Tony and the rest, as you say, is history.” Thor smiled a bit and looked down at Tony.       </p><p>“Well, it’s pretty late. You’re welcome to stay the night. It’s the least I can offer. I’m sorry again for hitting you with the van. You both look like you could use the rest. No offence Mr. Carter-Stark but you look dead on your feet.” Spoke Jane and Selvig nodded along. Tony very clearly needed some rest and maybe something to eat.</p><p>“Thank you for your kind offer, Lady Jane. We will graciously take your offer for the night.” Smiled Thor as they all started to get up from their seats.</p><p>“Yeah, and I wanna pick your brain in the morning. I’ve seen your research and your work before Dr. Foster. You’re smart. I like smart people.” Smiled Tony as he went over and shook her hand.   </p><p>They all milled around for a bit before going their separate way to get ready for bed. Jane and Darcy got some spare blankets and gave them to their guests before heading to their trailers just outside the building.  </p><p>By the time midnight rolled around, Jane and her compatriots had gone to bed leaving only Tony and Thor awake. Thor had made his way onto the roof of the building and was just sitting there looking at the stars as Tony made his way over to join him.</p><p>“You know, this sort of feels like the day we first met. Meeting on a roof while the other has a crisis. Not the best of times but at least it lead me to you.” Spoke Tony as he sat down next to Thor. Thor wrapped his arms around Tony and just held him for a moment, just happy to have him close.</p><p>“You promised you’d tell me what happened to you svass. I can’t bear to see you hurting.”</p><p>Tony curled in closer and cried as he told Thor everything. Everything about the betrayal and the torture. How the reactor in his chest was keeping him alive and it was poisoning him up until two days ago. Tony poured his heart out telling Thor what had happened. By the end, they were both crying and absolutely exhausted. Neither had gotten a proper chance to rest in such a long time and they were just completely worn out.</p><p>They ended up falling asleep together on the roof.</p><p>The couple were woken up the next morning but Darcy bringing them a little bit of coffee. Tony was still groggy and complained of feeling dizzy so Tor carried him off of the roof and into the kitchen area there in the building. The entire time breakfast was going on Tony was silent and half asleep. He’d accidentally fallen asleep with his hearing aids in and was complaining of some ear pain. Thor wished he could just make everything better, but he didn’t know how.</p><p>Tony didn’t feel much better as the day progressed so they all just let him sleep on the couch once Thor explained his sickness and how he needed the rest. They all understood once Thor got into the few details he could talk about. Mostly about how different Tony was from the way the media painted him.</p><p>As Tony slept, Thor took the opportunity to help Jane and Selvig out with their research. They were researching Einstein-Rosen Bridges, the very thing that made the Bifrost work. Now, Thor may not be 100 percent an expert on the topic, but he knew enough because he had Heimdall teach him because he got curious.</p><p>Jane and Selvig went crazy over everything that Thor was teaching them. It just proved their research and every last thing counted. Pens were flying and coffee was spilled in the franticness of the two scientists. It reminded Thor of Tony when he got excited over new inventions and projects.   </p><p>By the time dinner rolled around Tony had woken up and was a bit more lucid then he had been. He was able to ask Jane about her work and was excited to hear about her discoveries. Thor and Darcy just sat there and watched as their excited geniuses yammered on excitedly. It was fun to watch. Well, until Thor remembered something important.</p><p>“My hammer. I was holding it when I was cast down here. It can’t have gone far. I need to find it.”</p><p>“I’ll help you. I may feel like shit but the suit is still somehow running and I can search from the air.” Smiled Tony and Thor frowned. He hated that his love was feeling so terrible.</p><p>And so, with the help of Jane and the others, they went driving off in search of Thor’s fallen hammer. Tony was the one to spot what was going on. Even in the setting sun, it didn’t look good.  </p><p>“Shit. That’s not good.” Commented Tony as he looked down at the scene. There were some SHIELD trucks surrounding the hammer as well as a few tents for people to work. SHIELD sure got to things quickly. They must have gotten the same readings from the Bifrost that Jane did the night before. There must be a base nearby for them to work this quickly.</p><p>Tony landed and he and Thor snuck closer to the makeshift base while Jane and the others kept watch. They quickly came up with a plan that wasn’t really a plan and went with it. Thor pretty much stormed the base as it started to rain. He kicked agent after agent out of the way as he moved toward the center where his hammer was.  </p><p>But it was when he got there that he ran into a huge problem. As he stood there in the rain with agents surrounding him, Thor found that he was unable to lift his hammer. It didn’t budge at all no matter how hard be pulled. He was cold and exhausted and frightened by his inability to even move what was his that he stood no chance when he was tackled to the ground and brought into custody.</p><p>He was placed in a bright, white room with a single chair in the center and a mirrored wall to his left. Thor just sat there in shock. It would appear that his father had made it so he was unable to wield his weapon. He’d really been stripped of everything just for finding love. It wasn’t fair.</p><p>Thor didn’t know how long he sat there in that room. He was sure that Tony was finding a way to get him out, but still. He wanted to leave. He wanted out. And, just as Thor’s mind began to wander he looked up and saw that Loki had projected himself into the room using his magic.</p><p>“Loki?”</p><p>“Yes, Thor. It’s me. Well, sort of.”</p><p>“Have you any news from home? Is everything alright? Has father changed his mind?” asked Thor as Loki walked around the room.</p><p>“Father has fallen into the Odin-sleep. Mother fears he may never wake up. Your betrayal came as a shock. I have been put in charge of the throne for the time being.” Spoke Loki and Thor’s heart dropped. None of this was sitting right with him.</p><p>“But if you’re king now surely you can change that?”</p><p>“I’m sorry brother, but because it was our father’s last wish it remains.”</p><p>“But what of Mother? How is she holding?” worried Thor. He loved his mother dearly and he hoped she was doing well.</p><p>“She is most disappointed in you for your betrayal.”</p><p>And at those words, Thor instantly knew that Loki was lying about something.</p><p>“Mother would not be disappointed. She was the one who wed Tony and myself. She was the one who brought him an apple so we could grow old together. Why these lies brother? What is happening?” snapped Thor as he looked at the fading figure of his brother.            </p><p>“I’m sorry Thor, but I must go.”</p><p>And with that Loki was gone and Thor was left alone once more with more questions then he had answers.</p><p>Meanwhile, Tony had entered the base and was trying to sort things out. Thor had been taking a long time and he just knew he’d gotten himself into some sort of trouble.</p><p>“Hey, Agent Agent. Can I have my husband back?” asked Tony once he got in and managed to run into Agent Coulson.</p><p>“Wait, so you’re saying that the guy who just broke into here on a rampage is your husband?” asked Coulson as he looked at Tony with dismay.</p><p>“He is. I’d like him back please.” Smiled Tony and the Agent looked a bit put off. It was just like Tony to marry a loose cannon like the one he’d just witnessed.</p><p>There was a little bit of arguing that followed before Coulson brought Tony to the room Thor was being kept in and released him back to Tony. Tony thought that there would be more of a fight to get Thor back to him. Maybe this was Coulson’s way of saying sorry for everything that had happened over the last few months. Either way, Tony wasn’t going to argue. Not when Thor was sitting there looking like a drowned puppy.       </p><p>“I saw Loki. He came to me as a spectre while I was stuck in there.” Spoke Thor as he stared off into the emptiness of the room.</p><p>“What did he say?”</p><p>“He said my father has fallen into the Odin-sleep because he is so ashamed and angry with me. Loki has taken over the throne and I am to remain banished.” Sighed Thor. “But he is lying about something. I cannot fathom what it is but he is lying about something and I have no way of knowing what. I cannot return to Asgard without my hammer. It’s how I travel through the branches.”</p><p>Tony didn’t know what so say so he just hugged Thor close to help warm him up from the rain. Jane was gracious enough to let them stay another night at her research station. She liked having Tony around to talk science with and Thor didn’t want to leave without his hammer, especially because he didn’t want SHIELD doing anything to it.  </p><p>The next day started off pretty normal. They were all sitting around eating breakfast and sharing stories when there was a knocking at the door. They all looked over and in seconds Thor was on his feet and running towards the door.</p><p>“My friends! What are you doing here?” shouted Thor as he hugged all his friends. Tony was the first to get up and see what was going on.  </p><p>“We were worried about you. We needed to know you were alright. Your brother had gone insane and we needed to know you were alright.” Spoke Hogun.</p><p>“I am alright. It could be worse. At least I’ve got Tony.” Grimaced Thor as he wrapped an arm around Tony.</p><p>“So it is true. You took a Midgardian as your lover.” Spoke Sif, her voice laced with surprise.</p><p>“I did, and we have been together for many years. We met when I was sent here on that dare so many years ago.” Smiled Thor as he looked down at Tony with a smile. “My friends, this is Tony Carter-Stark, my beloved husband. Tony these are my friends Hogun, Frandral, Volstagg, and Sif.”</p><p>“It’s nice to meet you. Thor’s told me a lot about all of you.” Smiled Tony as he shook their hands.  </p><p>“What had brought you here?” You said Loki had gone insane.” Asked Thor after he finished introducing everyone to his friends.</p><p>There was a lot of explaining going on that was a bit hard to follow. Tony had a hard time following all the politics of it all. All he could gather was that Loki had taken over the throne, made a whole bunch of decrees surrounding community theatre and was causing a lot of trouble with a race called the “Frost Giants” or something like that. That was a whole heck of a lot to happen in what had amounted to two and a half days here on Earth. It seemed like Tony had married into a family with just as much drama as his own.</p><p>Just as they were getting into the important details there was a loud crashing sound from outside. They all went running and Tony went to go put on his suit. Nobody liked what they saw. At the end of the street was something called the Destroyer. It was a metallic monster from Asgard that Loki was no doubt controlling.</p><p>“We need to get the people here to safety. Loki wants me. I won't let innocents get hurt because of me.”  Spoke Thor.</p><p>Jane, Darcy, and Selvig were quick to help get everyone to safety as well as Coulson and his team once they saw there was a problem. Tony helped fight from the hair along with Lady Sif and the Warriors Three. They were the only ones who could really do anything against the metal beast. Thor had no weapons to fight with. Only his heart and his hands.</p><p>The fight was practically a blood bath. Thor’s friends were being flung through the air like ragdolls and Tony was struggling to keep up. He was still sick and exhausted from his own ordeal and having a fight another evil robot just days after his won fight as well as him slowly recovering from palladium poisoning, he just wasn’t doing well. Thor couldn’t just stay put and watch as his love put himself at risk. Yes, he knew that Tony could fight for himself, but he felt helpless. Loki was here for him and innocents were getting hurt. So, Thor did the only thing he could think of.</p><p>He put himself in the line of fire.  </p><p>Thor was flung back and landed on the ground near where Tony was. Tony retracted the faceplate of his armour and rushed to his husband’s side.     </p><p>“Thor! THOR!” shouted Tony as he sprinted towards his husbands unconscious body. There were cuts on his face and arms and his skin looked pale.</p><p>The monster advanced ever closer and Tony frantically tried to rouse Thor but to no avail.</p><p>“Tony! Tony, we need to go!” shouted Darcy and Tony shook his head.</p><p>“No! Not without him!”</p><p>Tony didn’t dare budge was the monster opened its metallic face and a great fire started brewing. Tony closed his eyes, ready to accept his fate when he was roughly pulled out of the way by Volstagg. Tony tried to fight his way free was stopped in his tracked when he saw the lightning crackle around Thor as his hammer flew into his hand and the energy roused him and transformed his clothes in battle armour.    </p><p>Thor wasted no time in taking his weapon to the head of the monster. The metallic clang rang for miles as Thor gave it hit after hit. It didn’t take long before the street was littered with metallic pieces and the threat was no more.</p><p>“Thor!” shouted Tony as he went running to his loves arms. Thor dropped the hammer at his feet and scooped Tony into his arms. Tony’s legs wrapped around Thor’s waist and the two shared a passionate kiss in celebration of their victory.</p><p>“I thought I was going to lose you.” Whispered Tony as he looked into Thor’s eyes.</p><p>“Never svass. You will never lose me.”</p><p>The two stood there for a moment as the others slowly regained their bearings and gathered around them. Nobody was hurt too much other than some cuts and bruises. Tony was honestly the worst off and it wasn’t really that bad.</p><p>“I need to return to Asgard. Loki needs to be stopped and reasoned with. This cannot continue.” Announced Thor and his fellow Asgardians nodded along.  </p><p>“You’d better come back soon Thor. I spent the last year without you. You’d better return to me.” Sighed Tony as he took a step back to allow Thor to travel through the Bifrost.</p><p>“I will return soon my beloved. I will return. Head back to our home and I will meet you there. Get some sleep. Eat something and take your medication. JARVIS will tell me if you haven’t. But rest assured, I will return soon. A day at most. I promise.”  Assured Thor and seconds later he and the other Asgardians were bathed in rainbow light as they travelled back home.</p><p>The second they arrived back on Asgard Thor was shouting and looking for Loki. He raced to the castle and was shocked to see the bodies of frost giants as he grew closer and closer to the main throne room. Thor ran even faster as he feared the worst. Thor burst into the main room and was met with his brother by his mother’s side and the body of a giant on the floor nearby. Thor knew immediately what had happened.  </p><p>“Brother! What is this nonsense? Why did you send the destroyer and let giants into our home?” shouted Thor as he looked between his brother and mother.</p><p>“I was just fulfilling father’s last wishes. And I’ve still got one more to do.” Smirked Loki.</p><p>Thor was blast from the castle by a powerful force of magic. Thor hit the ground hard and found himself dizzy and winded as he tried to get himself back up. He didn’t know how long he laid there on the golden steps of the palace, but he knew if must have been at least ten minutes because once he was able to stand he saw that the Bifrost was alight and freezing over with magic. Thor flew as fast as he could there and saw that Loki was in the process of trying to commit genocide against the Frost Giants.  </p><p>“You cannot stop this.” Snarled Loki and Thor stepped closer.</p><p>“Why have you done this?”</p><p>“To prove to father that I am a worthy son. Much, much more worthy than the traitor who fell in love with a Midgardian. When he wakes I will have saved his life and destroyed a race of monsters. And what will you have done? Nothing. Nothing but marry a low life mortal.”</p><p>Thor squared his shoulder and frowned.  </p><p>“I never wanted the throne. I only ever wanted to be your equal.”</p><p>“I will not fight you brother.”</p><p>“I was never your brother.” Sneered Loki and Thor’s frown deepened. Something wasn’t sitting right about that statement.</p><p>“Loki this is madness!”</p><p>“Is it? What made you so soft. Is it that mortal of yours? Has he made you soft? Has he ruined you? I should kill him just to bring you back to where you belong.”</p><p>Thor instantly saw red and threw a punch at Loki. Threatening him was one thing, but threatening Tony! His sweet, precious Tony who had ready suffered enough. That was crossing a line. The two began trading blows both from their fists and their weapons. Neither were trying to cause the other much harm, but they were trying to subdue to the other. But things took a change when Thor used his own magic and accidentally blasted them both away from the Bifrost and onto the rainbow bridge. Thor was quick to regain his footing and was met with the sight of Loki dangling off of the edge.</p><p>“Brother… please… help.” Whimpered Loki as he held on for dear life.</p><p>Thor instantly went to help him. He and Loki may be fighting, but he wasn’t going to let him fall to his death. Just as Thor reached out for his brother Loki disappeared into an illusion and Thor quickly found himself surrounded by multiple Lokis. Thor very quickly had enough of his brother’s antics and used his hammer to blast the illusions away leaving the real Loki sprawled on the ground. Thor walked over and stood over him and leered down.   </p><p>“You cannot stop this.” Spat Loki and Thor took that as a personal challenge.  He drew his hammer and began using it to break the very foundations of the bridge. If he broke the bridge he’d break the Bifrost and stop the slaughter.   </p><p>“What are you doing?! You’ll never see him again!” shouted Loki and Thor decided to spare him one last glance back.</p><p>“I never used the Bifrost to get to Midgard. The only thing I’m doing here is stopping you brother!”</p><p>And with that Thor dealt the final blow. The Bifrost sputtered out and broke into pieces as it fell into the abyss. Unfortunately, it began to take Thor and Loki down with it. The began falling and Thor reached out to catch Loki while trying to find his own footing. He felt something snag his ankle and was surprised to see his father holding him and trying to reel the two of them back to safety.   </p><p>“I did this for you! I could have done it, father! For you. For all of us.” Shouted Loki as he looked up at Thor and Odin.</p><p>“No Loki.” Muttered Odin and Loki’s face fell.</p><p>And then he let go.</p><p>“Loki no! NOOOOOOOO!”</p><p>Thor was in shock over what he had just witnessed. Loki had fallen into the abyss and was dead. He’d fallen and Thor felt like it was his fault. He allowed his father to lead him back to the palace. He didn’t talk nor fight the hand that was on his shoulder. Thor was lead to a back garden where he used to play as a child and was sat down on a plush couch as his father sat down next to him.</p><p>“I am sorry my son. I am truly sorry for everything.” Spoke Odin after a moment of silence.</p><p>“What does it matter? Loki is dead and you are furious with me for daring to find love.” Sulked Thor. He was feeling horrible over everything that had just transpired.   </p><p>“I am not mad Thor. At least, not anymore now that I’ve had time to think.” Thor looked over at his father, his eyes full of questioning.  </p><p>“Your mother told me that she was the one to wed the two of you. She told me of that day and how happy you were. She told me of your intended and how he has scars on his soul and is often sick and how you care for him. I wish… I wish things could have been different. I should have seen more. I should have been more open-minded. I shouldn’t have kept secrets from yourself and Loki. I should have allowed you to feel comfortable enough to come to me with the joyous news of your marriage. I should have seen your situation for what it is. Love.”   </p><p>“I love him father. I truly love him. He is my everything.” Spoke Thor as his hands shook a little bit.</p><p>“What secrets have you kept from Loki?” questioned Thor as he thought back to what his father had just said.  </p><p>And wasn’t that a loaded can of worms. Thor looked over and could see that his father clearly didn’t want to answer the question posed to him. But Thor pressed on and learned the truth. He learnt that Loki had been adopted by Odin and his true heritage hidden away from him until a few days ago when he found out after Thor was cast out. It was… a lot to take in. It was a lot and it made Thor feel angry. His brother had died knowing nothing but lies and feeling betrayal.  </p><p>“I have failed you. I truly have failed you.” Sighed Odin as he slumped forward in his seat.</p><p>“And what of Loki father? He’s dead. You kept secrets from him and now he’s dead.” Cried, Thor. He felt angry tears begin to well in his eyes.</p><p>“I am sorry my son. I truly am. I should have been more transparent with the both of you. I should have treated you each more equally. I should have allowed you both to be happy and feel safe.”  </p><p>“You should have. You really should have. Now Loki is dead and Tony is hurting. This last year has been hard for him. He was betrayed and tortured. If I had been able to trust you I could have helped him instead of being shipped off to war and Loki would still be alive.” Cried Thor. He couldn’t even bear to look at his father at the moment.  </p><p>The news that Thor’s husband had been hurt badly struck a chord with Odin. He knew he’d be just as upset as Thor was if his wife were to ever suffer at the hands of another. So, he made a decision that would hopefully help his son. He needed to do something right for once.  </p><p>“Return to your husband my son. Return to him and when you are ready, you will always be welcomed back to Asgard. Both of you will.”  </p><p>Thor didn’t really comprehend what his father had just said about Tony being welcome on Asgard. He just understood that he was being given permission to return to his love so he could take a break. Thor took off seconds later to travel the branches back to his beloved.</p><p>Thor landed just outside of his and Tony’s home in Malibu just after sunset. He opened the front door and was met instantly with the sight of Tony walking out of the kitchen in his pyjamas with an apple in hand. Tony dropped his apple the second he saw Thor and went running to him.   </p><p>“I promised you I’d be back.” Smiled Thor as Tony got closer.</p><p>Tony smiled as Thor took him in his arms and gave him a sweet kiss. They’d both endured possibly one of the worst years in their lives. It was nice to finally have a moment to each other to take a break. They both needed it.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry, this chapter took so long, but as you can see, it was a long one and I haven’t been feeling 100%. Did y’all enjoy it? Things happen a bit differently here but this is my world and I’ll change it if I want. That’s the great part about Au’s. Pretty much anything goes. Let me know what y’all think in the comments. I’ll see you soon. -Shadows</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Brothers in arms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Who’s ready for another long, and more Tony centric chapter? This one adds some more characters into the mix and ramps up some of the drama. I hope y’all are ready. I’ll see you at the end!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Thor ended up staying on Midgard for a total of six months before he returned alone to Asgard. He didn’t want to expose Tony to that world and his father just yet. While Thor was there, he and Tony spent most of their time together. They cuddled, cooked, and just spent their days and nights together. They went out a few times. By the second month, Thor was there, news had spread around the world of what had happened in New Mexico and that the Norse Gods of legends past were real and from a planet called Asgard.</p><p>There was a lot of hoopla when they found out that Thor had been Tony’s “eccentric Nordic friend” the entire time. There was even more of an uproar when he and Tony had come out and said that they’d been married to each other for years and that Tony had never had a wife. It was always Thor. A lot of people were angry at that news and the two of them ended up spending a few weeks inside to avoid all the crazy. They didn’t need any more of that in their lives.</p><p>One thing that they began to work on during their time together was designing a new tower in New York. Pepper was wanting to move all the main offices for SI to New York City so Tony and Thor went about designing a tower where they could live and the new offices could be. It was fun working together to design their new home. It was tall and had a landing pad where Tony could remove his armour and they could watch the sky together. They could also go flying together which was something that was quickly becoming one of the pair's favourite pastimes.</p><p>Eventually, though, Thor did have to return to Asgard. He needed to sort things out after what had happened. Thor spent most of that time talking with his parents about what was going on and how they were going to move forward with everything that had happened. Thor’s mother had asked how Tony was doing when he’d first gotten back to Asgard. Thor had to try and keep himself under control as he told her of what his beloved had endured and how he was doing now.</p><p>That pattern continued on with Thor spending more and more time on Midgard and also with Tony. They always felt better when they were together. They were happier and life just seemed brighter.</p><p>Although, things took a change in 2012.</p><p>Thor was back on Asgard helping his mother with something when Tony got called in by Agent Coulson to help with the Avengers Initiative. The night had started out normal. Tony and Pepper were celebrating getting the new tower completely off the grid and on arc reactor energy and were just trying to have some fun before Coulson showed up with his file folder of certain doom and family drama.        </p><p>“Um… what? Thor said Loki died. He fell into the abyss and died. How is he alive?” worried Tony as he looked over the information.</p><p>“Well, I guess he’s alive and he’s got some of my agents under control. You’ve got a lot of reading to do tonight Carter-Stark. Be ready to move by morning.” Spoke Coulson before he and Pepper took their leave.</p><p>Tony spent the entire night going over all the information he was presented with. None of this was alright. Why the hell was his family so full of drama? What did Tony do to deserve all of that? His family life just wasn’t great, especially when it came to his siblings. And then there was Thor’s side of things and that lead to some in-law problems. His brother in-law was pretty much insane and having an identity crisis, his father-in-law wasn’t too fond of him at first and that lead to Thor’s exile. The only one who was really nice was his mother-in-law Frigga.</p><p>Why couldn’t Tony just have a normal, loving family?</p><p>The next day Tony got information on where Loki was and flew off to go meet his brother-in-law for the first time and bring him into custody. What Tony wasn’t quite counting on was Captain America himself being there. Sure, Tony knew that they’d recently found the man and defrosted him, but he still wasn’t happy about it. Tony had spent his entire childhood being abused and beaten by Howard because he failed to live up to the impossible expectations set by the good Captain. Tony wasn’t like Steve, and Howard had hated him for it.</p><p>When Tony arrived in Germany he was met with the sight of Captain America himself squaring off against the God while innocent people fled the area. Tony quickly intervened and sent a repulsor blast right at Loki, knocking him down to his feet. Of course, this was after he hijacked the nearby SHIELD jet’s speaker system and started blasting music thought it.  </p><p>“Make your move Reindeer Games.” Snarked Tony as he retracted his helmet and trained all his weapons on Loki. The God was quick to surrender and Look up at Tony from his spot on the ground.</p><p>“Oh… You’re Thor’s little plaything, aren’t you.” Smirked Loki and Tony wanted to punch him.</p><p>“I’m not his plaything.” Hissed Tony. “I’m his husband.”</p><p>Tony ended up roughly cuffing Loki and dragging him onto the waiting jet with Cap tailing behind him. They were quick to get everything ready and soon enough they were airborne and bound for the SHIELD carrier just off the coast.</p><p>“Was all that necessary Stark?” asked Cap in a very disapproving way and Tony had to fight down the bile and panic that rose in his throat.</p><p>“First of all, it’s Carter-Stark. Second of all this dipshit is, unfortunately, family so I reserve the right to be a little rough.”</p><p>“I’m sorry? Did you say CARTER-Stark?” asked Steve, his brows furrowed in confusion. “That’s not in your file.”</p><p>“Of course it wouldn’t.” sighed Tony. “I’m the product of an affair and neither side of the family really wanted me so of course they’d go and hide that from you. God damn it I want this cluster fuck to be over.”           </p><p>About 10 minutes into the flight a storm began brewing and lightning danced across the sky. Tony smiled as the wind rocked the jet. He knew exactly what was going on. Also, it was just a little too funny when Loki flinched a bit as the thunder got louder.</p><p>“What, scared of a little thunder?” taunted Tony.</p><p>“I’m not overly fond of what follows.” Tony just smiled and scooted to the from of the jet and hit a few buttons that would open the back hatch enough for their new visitor to come inside the jet.   </p><p>“Thor!” shouted Tony as the back door opened and Thor stepped inside.</p><p>“Svass!” shouted back Thor as he scooped Tony into his arms. Behind them, Loki was rolling his eyes and praying for death while Steve and Natasha just looked confused.</p><p>“You found Loki!” smiled Thor but his eyes betrayed his true emotions. Confusion and anger.</p><p>“Yeah. He’s stollen something called the Tesseract and mind fucked a whole bunch of SHIELD agents so we’re taking him back to base to try and figure out what’s going on and how to stop it.” Supplied Tony and Thor nodded along.</p><p>“I will accompany you. I too would like to figure out what is going on. Plus I missed you.” Smiled Thor as he leant down and gave Tony a sweet little kiss. Loki gagged from his seat in the corner.</p><p>“What’s going on? Is this guy another Asgardian? Can we trust him?” asked Steve and the two lovers stopped their little reunion.</p><p>“This is Thor. He’s Loki’s brother. He’s my husband. Yes, you can trust him. He lives here on Earth half the time so it’s not like he’d be out to destroy his home.” Spoke Tony as the jet began to land on the carrier. Some SHIELD agents were quick to board and escort Loki to his new, secure cell while everyone else made their way inside the main area of the carrier. Although Tony took a little detour to remove his suit. Naturally, Thor followed.</p><p>“Who was that blond man on the jet with us?” asked Thor as Tony began the tedious task of removing his suit.     </p><p>“Remember how I told you those stories of how Howard would beat me because I wasn’t exactly like Captain America?” Thor nodded. “Well, that guy in the spangly outfit is him. They fished him out of the ice and I can feel the anger and disappointment rolling off of him. Especially once he found out that I was the bastard child of his lost love. This… this is not going to end well.”  </p><p>Thor knew that Tony didn’t do too well with words of affirmation so he just kissed him and promised him he’d protect him from the big bad Captain America.</p><p>The two made their way to the bridge of the ship to wait for instructions. The entire time Tony and Thor talked speculated what could have happened to Loki. Neither knew how he’d survived his fall into the abyss. Neither were really sure what had happened and were determined to get to the bottom of this. Like it or not, Loki was family and Tony knew better than to abandon family. He’d been abandoned by pretty much everyone in the past. He didn’t want to continue the cycle of shame.</p><p>By the time they made it to the bridge, Coulson was already there debriefing Steve and Natasha.</p><p>“So, what did we miss? Did Capcicle here explode any electronics or faint from seeing somebody's ankles?” joked Tony. He was feeling extremely uncomfortable with the man he’d been compared to his entire life sitting not too far from where he was. So, Tony did the only thing he could think of. He joked.        </p><p>“Do you have to be so crass? It’s unprofessional.” Sighed Steve as he frowned at Tony.  </p><p>“Well, jury’s still out on that one.” Thor snickered a bit at Tony’s remark.</p><p>“I’ve seen your file Stark. I’ve seen the footage. And know knowing you’re Peggy’s son, she’d be really disappointed in you.” Spoke Steve and Tony’s heart sank. It was like he was three years old again and being hit by Howard down in the lab because he connected the wrong wires on something.  </p><p>“Christ you sound so much like my brother but minus sticking my head in the toilet and giving me a swirly. Also, what footage? The footage of me saving people in the suit or the footage from before I met Thor and used to party in college? You know, the stuff from when I was a teenager.” sighed Tony as he ran a hand down his face. Thor put his arm around Tony’s shoulder in a show of comfort.</p><p>“You have siblings?” asked Steve completely deflecting the question. Everyone present looked over at Tony who was feeling more and more anxious and uncomfortable.</p><p>“I’ve got a brother and sister. They’re both older than me. Matthew is 10 years older than me and hates my guts. Rebecca isn’t much better. She’s 8 years older. I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys have run into Matthew before. He’s an agent here.” Spoke Tony. He wasn’t too fond of talking about his siblings.</p><p>“Of course I’m an agent here.” Came a voice from the doorway. “I actually make mom and dad proud, unlike your bastard ass. You’re really not good for anything.”</p><p>Tony and everyone else spun around and were greeted with the sight of Agent Matthew Carter-Sousa. He was tall with greying hair and a fair complexion. He looked a lot like his father Daniel and had a bad temper when it came to Tony. The man was now in his 50s but was still an active field Agent with SHIELD.</p><p>“I like how you hate me for something that was completely out of my control. Mom was the one who had an affair. How is me simply existing my fault?” snarked back Tony as he took a few steps closer to Thor.</p><p>Tony really didn’t get along with his brother. And really he was no better with his sister. He was nice to all his nieces and nephews though. He’d met them a few times at family get-togethers that his mom had made him go to. The kids liked him, but they liked Thor more because he let them climb all over him. But most of the kids were now teenagers or getting close to that. Well, all of them but his youngest niece Gabriella. She was three and Tony hadn’t gotten to meet her yet. He almost doubted he ever would now that family get-togethers weren’t a thing with Peggy and Daniel in the nursing home.</p><p>“Mom should have aborted you. Would have made everyone’s lives easier. You’re nothing good and it absolutely doesn’t help that you married a man.” Spat Matthew and Tony had to fight to keep the tears from his eyes and his hands from shaking.</p><p>“Have care how you speak Matthew. You’d best leave Tony alone. Don’t test me again.” Snarled Thor as he took a step forward towards the man.    </p><p>“Or what? You’ll zap me? I don’t think so. You do that and you’ll be locked up like that good for nothing terrorist we just brought in. Maybe they’ll throw Tony in there for good measure. Would do us all a favour if he died.”</p><p>“My brother is NOT a terrorist.” Snapped Thor. He knew that something was wrong with Loki and he needed to figure out what it was.</p><p>“He killed 80 people in two days.”</p><p>“He’s adopted.” Joked Thor once he realized that all the attention in the room had turned to him.</p><p>The tension in the room was thick as a knife so they were all very lucky when Agents Coulson, Hill, and Director Fury entered the room. Fury was quick to get everyone to shut up and sent Matthew to his work station while he got to debriefing everyone else who was there for Loki’s capture. Things were going somewhat smoothly for the entirety of the debrief until Tony got antsy and started looking around the room to keep his mind off of the fact that the man Howard had idolized didn’t really seem to like him.  </p><p>“Matthew is playing Galaga! Thought we wouldn’t notice, but I did. Who’s the irresponsible one now!?” shouted Tony and Thor laughed a little bit whereas Steve just looked confused. Everyone else looked like they wanted to throw him off the deck of the carrier without the suit.  </p><p>“Alright, Carter-Stark! That’s it! Go to the lab with Dr. Banner and start searching for that DAMN STICK OF HIS RIGHT NOW OR SO HELP ME GOD!” shouted Fury and Tony jumped in his seat next to Thor.</p><p>As much as Tony wanted to argue, he knew it would do him no good to get into yet another argument. Plus he was already feeling spent between the one he just had with Matthew and the overwhelming weight of the fact this Captain America just didn’t like him. Just like Howard had said.</p><p>Tony quickly gave Thor a little kiss goodbye before he ran off with the lab with Dr. Bruce Banner tailing behind him. The good doctor seemed very nice, and once they started working and talking, Tony realized that he really, really, really liked Bruce. He knew what it was like to have an abusive father, a nasty past, and the pains of moving though school way too fast. Tony even showed Bruce his arc reactor to prove to him that it was alright to be a little messed up. If it was one thing Thor had taught him it was that it was ok to be different.  </p><p>Although their peace was disturbed when the Good Captain entered and got mad and Tony and Bruce for “goofing around”. They weren’t doing anything wrong. They were just talking while waiting for something to render. Tony was just poking Bruce with a screwdriver and offering him some snacks. Tony always kept some sort of snack on him because he needed to take his medication with food. If he didn’t he felt like absolute shit.</p><p>“Alright, out of the two of us who here is wearing a spangly outfit while just not really doing anything useful.” Quipped Tony in an effort to get Steve to back off a bit.</p><p>“You’re one to talk. You’re still wearing your com units.” Snapped Steve and Tony looked back in confusion.</p><p>“What? I’m not wearing any com units.”</p><p>“Those black things behind your ears with the tubes going inside. I may be from the ’40s but I know what modern com units look like.”</p><p>And suddenly things made a little bit more sense to Tony.</p><p>“Those aren’t com units. Those are my hearing aids. I used to have a more discreet set but the broke recently and I haven’t had time to make a new set so I’m stuck using an older set until I can.” Spoke Tony as he tried to hide his shame at the situation.</p><p>“You’re deaf?” asked Steve without much tact.</p><p>“No. Um… I have a hearing impairment among other things. I know how to handle it all though. I know how to handle myself when I need it. So does Thor.” Spoke Tony as he tried to defend himself. He didn’t need Captain America thinking he was useless just because he was sick, even if the logical side of his brain told him that Steve had been sickly long ago and still fought in back alleyways.</p><p>“Just find the cube.” Huffed Steve as he left.</p><p>Tony and Thor continued on with their work and got to continue their conversation. Thor popped in for a moment to make sure that Tony was doing alright and to get caught up on what was going on. Thor never failed to make Tony feel better about things. At least he knew that Thor would always love him. They were married and bonded for all of eternity after all. The room was actually calm for a bit as Tony and Bruce waited around for the signature to lock on to the cube’s location. Bruce asked Thor some questions about Asgard and Thor was happy to answer.</p><p>Although that piece was broken when Fury came in in a tizzy asking too many questions. But Fury wasn’t the only one with questions. Tony had some of his own.   </p><p>“What’s Phase 2?” asked Tony, and just as Fury was about to lie to his face, Steve walked into the already crowded lab with a huge weapon in his hands. He slammed it on the table and looked like he wanted to punch something.</p><p>“Phase 2 is SHIELD using the cube to make weapons. Sorry, the computer was working a little too slow for me.” Spoke Steve and Tony just shrugged.</p><p>And from there the yelling started up again. Tony had gone into SHIELD that day knowing that there would be a lot of arguments about what to do as well as a clashing of personalities, but he never thought it would be like this. Every time the yelling increased Tony had to fight back a flinch as his mind brought him back to all the beatings and fights of his childhood.    </p><p>“You need to square up Carter!” shouted Steve. And wasn’t that something new. Nobody called him Carter if they were only going with one last name. “You need to get with the program and start living up to your name. What the hell would Peggy think if she could see you? What about Howard?” snapped Steve and Tony’s hands began to shake. Thor saw what was going on and made his way closer to Tony.</p><p>“Well seeing as how Howard is dead and hopefully will stay that way his opinion doesn’t matter. As for my mom, she’s proud. She likes what I’m doing. She’s alright with Thor. Although she couldn’t even make it to my damn wedding so I have no idea what that means.” Snarked Tony as he hid his hands in his pockets to stop them from shaking.</p><p>“You should watch how you speak about your parents.” Spoke Steve, his voice low. “You’d be nothing without them.”    </p><p>“Oh, I can assure you that I’d be so much more without them.” Snapped Tony as he looked Steve dead in the eyes. He half expected Thor to try and hold him back.</p><p>“Take off the suit, what are you?”</p><p>“Genius, Billionaire, Philanthropist.”</p><p>“I don’t know Stark, based on all those old articles maybe you should add “playboy’ and “cheater” to your repertoire.”</p><p>“Are you fucking kidding me!” shouted Tony as he turned and stared down everyone in the room while Thor reached over and grabbed his hand. “Fucking hell. Every single last one of those articles is fake. I’ve never once cheated on Thor. Never. Why is it so hard for the world to believe that I can be good?”</p><p>Before anyone could respond a ding went off in the corner. The program had worked and they’d found the cube. Tony raced over to check the coordinates and started to make his way out of the room to grab his suit only to be stopped by Steve grabbing his arm. Thor was over by Tony’s side in seconds to remove the threat to his beloved.</p><p>“Keep your hands off of him.” Growled Thor and Steve took a step back not willing to start a fight with the God of Thunder.</p><p>Before much else could be said the room exploded and everyone went flying. Thor fell through the floor and Tony was blasted back towards the door. He felt dazed and dizzy and was just the tiniest bit thankful that Steve helped him to his feet so he could get his suit. The second he had it one Fury was shouting instructions to him so he could fix the broken turbine so that the whole carrier didn’t go down. Cap was there to help by pulling the red lever when he told him to.</p><p>Fixing the turbine wasn’t so bad. Well, it wasn’t so bad until going around in a continuous loop and getting beaten up by the blades of the now working turbine got a little old. Tony felt his body get nicked by his suit as it compressed down at certain points. But that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst was the fact that Tony very quickly felt himself getting dizzy and nauseous with even the slightest bit of movement. His head was pounding and he was sure that he had a nose bleed.</p><p> The second that he was free of that turbine he crashed back onto the carrier, removed his face plate, and promptly threw up right in front of Captain America. But Tony didn’t care. His world was spinning, his nose was bleeding, and his ears hurt. He closed his eyes to avoid looking at anything while he tried to regain his breath.</p><p>“Carter? You alright?” asked Steve as he knelt down next to Tony.</p><p>“No. Sick. Fury has my extra meds.” Breathed Tony as he fought down the urge to throw up again.</p><p>“Let’s get you inside to him then.”</p><p>Steve helped Tony to his feet and brought the struggling genius back inside. As they walked through the halls, everything was in disarray and people were running around like chickens with their heads cut off. Thankfully, that meant that none of them really paid attention to the fact that Captain America was practically dragging a very pale looking Iron Man down the halls of the carrier towards the bridge.</p><p>Tony was glad that Fury was on his side at the moment because if he wasn’t then the man standing over him with a pack of tissues and a bottle of pills would be very unnerving.       </p><p>“Where’s Thor?” asked Tony as he sat there on the chair Fury had pushed underneath him.  </p><p>“No clue. He got blasted out by Loki during the fight. But the guy is made of magic or whatever. I’m sure he’s fine.” Spoke Fury as he unscrewed Tony’s pill bottle for him and passed him the correct dosage. Tony took the meds and hoped that they would kick in before anymore fighting took place.</p><p>Tony was still felling dizzy and just generally crappy as Fury launched himself into a spiel about what had happened. Coulson had died trying to keep Loki contained. Hulk had fallen from the carrier. Thor had also fallen from the carrier. Natasha was able to retrieve Agent Barton and he was healing up in medical. All in all it was just a giant mess and Tony felt horrible. He wanted this all to be over. He wanted Coulson to have lived. He wanted to go back home with Thor and just sleep for a few days.</p><p>Tony couldn’t really stomach to listen much more to what was happening around him. He wobbly got up from his seat and left to go fix his suit. As Tony was working away with shaking hands and tilted vision he didn’t notice that Steve had entered the room behind him and was just standing there. Well, Tony also didn’t hear him as the man began talking and was completely surprised when he turned around to grab a wrench and saw the man standing behind him.</p><p>“Did you even hear a word I said?” sighed the Captain once Tony had noticed he was there.</p><p>“Sorry. I didn’t. I don’t normally keep my hearing aids on when working with loud things. I don’t want to damage what’s left of my working ears.” Spoke Tony as he put his tools down. He knew he wouldn’t be able to continue working if someone needed his attention.</p><p>“That… That makes sense. I was just asking if you were alright. You still look pretty pale and your hands are shaking.”</p><p>“It’s nothing I’m not used to.” Sighed Tony.</p><p>“Look, Carter. I’m… I’m spry about what I said earlier. I should never have said those things without actually getting to know you. Judging by the fight you had with your brother and the things he said I have a feeling there’s more to that file then what was actually put in there.” Apologized Steve and Tony looked down at his hands.</p><p>“Isn’t that the understatement of the year.” Grimaced Tony. “Look, Cap. Things aren’t always as they seem. Howard wasn’t a good man as he got older. Mom tried her best with what she was given but my siblings are pieces of shit and control everything to make my life miserable. Mom didn’t even come to my own wedding because my sister decided she wanted help planning for her baby on the same day. I grew up in a very shitty situation and I’d appreciate it of you never brought up Howard or any of that ever again. I’ve worked hard to move past it with Thor’s help and having you here, the man my father prised above his own son, isn’t making things very easy. So can we just drop everything and get back to the task at hand?”</p><p>Steve stared down at Tony for a moment before nodding. He knew he’d go to Peggy’s nursing home later to try and find out bits of what had all happened, but for now he could let things got for the sake of the mission. Seconds later, Tony got a notification on his phone from JARVIS. Loki had infiltrated the tower and was messing around with the arc reactor.</p><p>“SHIT!” shouted Tony as he gave Steve the information and scrambled to finish fixing his suit. Steve went off to grab a few others and a jet. It was time for war.  </p><p>Tony flew off back to the tower as soon as his suit was operational and could fly. He had a few backup suits at the tower he could change into. He just needed to get there. They had travelled back in the direction of the States after they’d first captured Loki so Tony didn’t have to fly for too long to get there. Although, once he arrived he wished he’d been closer. Loki was already in his tower pattering around and having his brainwashed lackeys set things up. Tony landed and got out of his suit while he asked JARVIS to ready a new one. He wanted to see if he could talk his brother-in-law down first.</p><p>“Please tell me you’re here to appeal to my sense of family.” Joked Loki as he started down Tony from his new place near the bar.</p><p>“No, actually I’m here to threaten you.” Quipped back, Tony.</p><p>“You should have kept your suit on for that. I’ve learned about you while here on Midgard. Leave it to my idiot brother to choose someone weak as a partner.” Spoke Loki and Tony’s heart sank. The words that Loki had just spoken greatly mirrored the words that Howard and his brother would often speak to him. Tony was so tired of being told that he was nothing or that he was weak. He’d endured so much and come out stronger for it. Thor had said so and Tony trusted Thor’s word above everyone else’s.</p><p>“I’m not threatened by you Loki. You know why? Because I know my worth. I know I’m strong. Sure, I’ve been low before. So have you from what I’ve been told. But we’ll beat you. I’ll beat you.”</p><p>“Who is this nebulous “we” you speak of?”</p><p>“The Avengers. The other people you trued to fight today. It’s taken us a little bit to get some traction, but now that we’re there I can assure you that you and your army won’t stand a chance.” Rebutted Tony and Loki laughed at him.</p><p>“Well seeing as how my oaf of a brother nor the rest of your merry band of misfits aren’t here, I think I will prevail. I have an army.”</p><p>“We have a Hulk!” Loki stared back at Tony and Tony continued.</p><p>“You won’t win. You see, there is no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top. So maybe your army comes and maybe it’s too much for us but you know what? If we can’t defend the Earth then you can damn well be sure we’ll avenge it.”</p><p>Loki started walking towards Tony and Tony felt his heart skip a few beats.      </p><p>“Plus you know Thor loves it here. He loves me and it’ll really piss him off if you do anything to the things he loves.” Panicked Tony as Loki got closer and closer, his sceptre raised.</p><p>“But how will my brother have time for me when he’s too busy dealing with you?”</p><p>Tony’s eyes widened as Loki touched the sceptre to his arc reactor. He was prepared to fall under the God’s control, but that wasn’t what happened. The only thing that happened was a small clanging sound and a disappointed Loki.</p><p>“This usually works…” spoke Loki as he looked over his sceptre.</p><p>“Well, you know… performance issues. Not really that uncommon. You know one in five…”</p><p>Tony didn’t have time to finish his little taunt because Loki had grabbed him by the throat and was dragging him towards the window. Tony yelled at JARVIS to send him a new suit just in time for him to be throw from the window and sent hurtling towards the ground below. Tony was thankful that JARVIS was quick because if the suit had taken only a few seconds longer he could have been a genius pancake on the streets on New York. By the time Tony had gotten his bearings and fought down any nausea that had resurfaced, Loki had opened the portal and his army had started pouring in.</p><p>The others, including Thor were quick to arrive and start helping out. They were hilariously outnumbered and it was stressing Tony out. At least he had Thor at his side. The two worked in tandem together missing Thor’s lightning and Tony’s repulsors and missiles seamlessly. It was as if they’d always fought side by side. Well, they had, but not like this.</p><p>The fight continued on and very quickly the heroes began to feel fatigued. Everyone was bleeding somewhere and those who had ranged weapons were doing most of the hard work while those who didn’t helped make sure civilians were sent to safety.</p><p>But pretty quickly, the aliens invading were the least of Tony’s worries.</p><p>“Carter-Stark! We have a nuke incoming set to go off in less than three minutes!” came Fury’s voice through his suit. Tony had forgotten that he was still connected to SHIELD.</p><p>“ON IT!”</p><p>Tony quickly raced off from where he was fighting to grab the nuke. He didn’t have a lot of options on what to do with it. He knew he had to make sure it didn’t explode above a civilian population. So, Tony did the only thing he could think of. He started taking it towards the portal.</p><p>“JARVIS put me through to Thor.” Spoke Tony and JARVIS was quick to comply.</p><p>“Please tell me that you’re not going to do what I think you are.” Worried Thor one they were connected on a private line.</p><p>“I’m so sorry Thor.” Whispered Tony as he drew ever closer to the portal.</p><p>“Anthony! Don’t you dare!” shouted Thor and Tony was sure that everyone heard it.</p><p>“I love you. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for loving me. Thank you Thor. I love…”</p><p>Tony’s com unit cut out before he could finish his sentence. Tony sighed and continued his path. As Tony flew through the portal he felt the repulsor on his left boot explode on the inside. He screamed as he felt the skin of his foot and leg tear and burn. He spared himself a glace down and was thankful that the outside appeared undamaged. He didn’t need his armour broken open out in space.</p><p>Tony fought through the pain and pushed the nuke off towards the armada that was before him. He used all his strength to make sure that the nuke would hit his intended target. The second the nuke began to explode the armada Tony felt relief wash over him, quickly followed by pain. His chest felt like it was on fire. The pain was so intense that he felt like he was being ripped apart from the inside. Tony knew this was the end. He knew he wasn’t going to come back from this. So, Tony closed his eyes.  </p><p>He closed his eyes.</p><p>And he fell.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.</p><p>.              </p><p>Thor was simultaneously shouting and crying as Tony flew into the portal. It became even worse when by some miracle he began to fall back out of it.</p><p>“He’s not slowing down!” worried Thor as Tony continued to fall and not catch himself.</p><p>Thor was seconds away from taking to the skies to catch his beloved but Hulk was faster. He managed to catch Tony and bring him back to the ground where he landed not far from where Thor and Steve were standing. Thor went running towards Tony’s side and proceeded to rip the faceplate off of his helmet. He was met with Tony’s still, pale face. Cuts and scraped littered his features and there was a small trickle of blood that was oozing from his nose.</p><p>“Tony… Tony? Svass?” worried Thor as he gently shook Tony and leant down to listen for any breathing.</p><p>He didn’t hear any. No breathing. No pulse. Nothing. The arc reactor in his chest lay dark.    </p><p>Thor began crying hard as he shook Tony in an attempt to wake his love. They’d been promised forever! Tony couldn’t be dead! He couldn’t. His love had suffered enough. He didn’t need to die before he could truly start living. Thor knew he had to do something. He had to bring his love back to him. He knew he had to get the reactor going. Thor had an idea. He just hoped it worked. He didn’t know what he’d do if it didn’t.</p><p>“No… no. You’re not leaving me Tony. You couldn’t leave me when we first met and I’m not letting you leave me now.” Cried Thor as the others watched.</p><p>Thor took his hammer in hand and placed it over Tony’s arc reactor. He channelled his lightning and used it to shock the reactor and Tony back to life. Tony’s chest heaved as he drew in a stuttering breath and began coughing.</p><p>“Shh. Shh. Svass, it’s alright. You’re alright.” Soothed Thor as he pulled Tony into his arms.</p><p>Tony didn’t respond other than a weak cough as he closed his eyes again.</p><p>“No, no svass. Keep your eyes open. Just stay awake a little longer my beloved.” Urged Thor but Tony was already out again and that made him very worried.       </p><p> “He needs medical attention. We need to get him help. Please.” Pleaded Thor as he looked up at everyone around him.</p><p>“I’ve contacted SHIELD. They’re on their way with a jet to take in Loki. They have some medical supplies on hand but we’ll take him back to the jet.” Came Natasha’s voice over the coms. “Get your asses up to the tower.”</p><p>They were very lucky that they were close. Thor flew up with Tony and Hulk picked up Clint and Steve on his way up. Thor saw that Loki was embedded in the floor of the living room but he spared his brother no mind. He knew that Loki would be alright. As for his husband, he wasn’t so sure. After a few minute of waiting the jet arrived and whisked them all back off to the carrier. When they arrived Loki was taken off to a secure cell and Thor brought Tony down to medical.</p><p>Because Thor was who he was, he was allowed to stay in the corner of the room while doctors worked on Tony. The treated and bandaged the burns to his leg and cuts that littered his body. They fitted Tony with a nasal canula because his oxygen was very low. They also started giving him IV fluids and medicine. Thor didn’t know what it was but he hoped that it would help his beloved.</p><p>Once the doctors left, Thor made his way to Tony’s side and stayed there. He wasn’t going to move until Tony was better again. The other Avengers came in so they could check on things and bring Thor some very much appreciated food, but other than that it was just Thor and Tony.</p><p>It took five hours for Tony to wake up. When he did he felt incredibly dizzy, cold, and achy. Thor was quick to bundle him up in blankets before he fell back asleep. And that’s how things progressed overnight. Tony would wake up occasionally and Thor would be there offering comfort and warmth.     </p><p>It was early in the morning when Fury came by. Tony was sleeping and Thor was on the bed with him curled around him and just thankful for the fact that his husband was alive. Fury had walked in and disturbed the peace. At first he had asked after Tony’s health but it became very clear that Fury wanted to know what to do about Loki. He was from Asgard after all and there were probably laws there that would require then send Loki back. Well, that and the fact that SHIELD didn’t want to cause an interplanetary issue for having Loki in their custody.  </p><p>“Use this. It’s a device that will send him back to Asgard to face retribution.” Spoke Thor as he pulled a set of magical cuffs from his pocket.</p><p>He didn’t pay Fury any mind after that. Tony was starting to wake up again and Thor had to be there for him.</p><p>“Hey svass.” cooed Thor as Tony woke up once again.</p><p>“Thor…” croaked Tony and Thor quickly helped him drink some water.</p><p>“You’re alright my sweet. You’ve got some cuts and some bad burns but you’ll be alright.”</p><p>“Ok…” sighed Tony as he curled closer to Thor. “Feel dizzy and tired.”</p><p>“That’s alright Tony. You just get some sleep and I’ll let the doctor know how you’re feeling.”</p><p>Tony was sound asleep moment later.</p><p>That pattern continued over the next few days with Tony staying awake for longer and longer periods of time. The other Avengers would come in and visit every so often. They may have all had a rocky start but they were all ready to work forward with things. Although Tony was still warry of Natasha he knew that Thor wouldn’t let anything happen to him.   </p><p>“You can all stay at the tower. I don’t mind.” Smiled Tony one afternoon while he was awake. Everyone was in the room eating lunch together and talking when the topic was brought up on what would happen to the team.  </p><p>They all quickly agreed and Tony made sure that JARVIS would let them in so they could find rooms there while he was still stuck in medical.</p><p>One of the things that drove Tony crazy while he was healing was the fact that even though his brother was working on the carrier where he was, he never came in to see Tony. Tony wasn’t surprised at all about this, but one little tiny bit of his heart wanted his brother to check in on him. He’d saved New York for fuck's sake! Why couldn’t his family love him?</p><p>Thor tried his best to keep Tony’s mind off of things. Tony didn’t need any more stress or heartbreak.</p><p>After a week and a half, Tony was allowed to go home. Thor was the one to take him there because Tony wasn’t cleared to fly or drive. It wasn’t like Tony was really complaining. He was just happy to leave SHIELD. As they flew back home they could see the damage that was dome to the city. Tony knew that he’d have to help out somehow. He couldn’t let the alien weapons fall into the wrong hands.</p><p>Once they arrived back at the tower Tony and Thor were surprised to see the other Avengers waiting there to greet them. They had movies and snacks and blankets and the couple smiled over the fact that their new teammates cared for them. Maybe it would be alright.   </p><p>They spent the day sitting there eating snacks and watching movies. They all needed the time to decompress after everything that had happened. They were also formulating a plan on how best to help with clean up. SHIELD was already doing things but they wanted to help too. Tony knew that at the moment he could only set up shelters and give funding to people who needed it because he was still injured, but it was better than nothing. The other Avengers would be helping on the ground while Tony dealt with the media.</p><p>As things died down Thor noticed that Tony was looking pretty tired. Thor made sure to have Tony say his goodnights before he whisked his husband back off to bed. They quickly got changed and comfortable before they crawled under the plus covers.  </p><p> “Remember all those years ago when you told me that you were also the god of fertility?” asked Tony as Thor tucked the two of them into bed for the night.</p><p>“I do.”</p><p>“How would you feel about starting a family of our own? I think… I think I’m ready. I want to give any kid of ours a better childhood than mine. I want to have a happy ending. I… I want to have a baby of our own.” Asked Tony shyly. He was picking at his nails and couldn’t quite look Thor in the eyes.</p><p>Thor, on the other hand, was all smiles.</p><p>“I would love to have children with you svass. I want nothing more than to make you happy and to start a family with you at my side. You will look so lovely carrying our babies.” Spoke Thor as he pulled Tony snuggly into his arms. “But I will only perform the ritual after you have healed. I refuse to cause you any undue pain.”</p><p>Tony nodded and Thor leant in for a sweet little kiss. Tony was still exhausted and needed rest to heal. Thor wasn’t about to keep Tony awake for longer than necessary. He held Tony close as he safely fell asleep. Tony wasn’t that far behind. Now that Tony was on the med his own exhaustion had crept upon him and he was just as tired.    </p><p>The entire night Thor and Tony dreamt of what their babies would look like.       </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another long one! I hope you liked it. T’was a labour of love. Plus we got to meet Tony’s brother for the first time. In other news, my dad has been taking me on some night time photo shoots. He’s teaching me how to take my own really cool pictures. We went up into the mountains and I got a pretty sweet pic of the milky way! Next chapter will be up shortly. See y’all soon! -Shadows   </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Tied together</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys! It’s time for a new chapter. Just a little warning, this one does have some sexy times and magic rituals. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Now, on with the show! I’ll see you at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Over the next couple of moths, Tony continued to heal from the injuries he sustained in the fight against Loki. In the time Thor practically doted over him. Tony had absolutely zero complaints about that setup. And it wasn’t like he wanted to deny Thor this. He’d almost lost Tony in the fight. That had really taken its toll on Thor. He’d almost lost his beloved too many times. He just wanted to keep Tony safe. Even more so now that they were planning for a baby together.</p><p>While Tony was healing, the other Avengers also settled into life at the tower. Tony wasn’t entirely sure about sharing his space with the others, especially Captain America. Tony knew it wasn’t really Steve’s fault that his image had been used to abuse Tony growing up, but he still felt warry around the man. At least Steve understood once he got more of the story and made sure to act accordingly.      </p><p>There had also been a lot of media uproar surrounding the Avengers after the cleanup had started. They wanted to know everything that had happened as the team began helping clean up the mess that had happened. Tony had faced some backlash for not being there on the ground helping in the suit. But once everyone found out that he was injured and couldn’t walk at the time and wasn’t cleared by a doctor to use his broken suit, the public backed off. He did save them all from a nuke after all.  </p><p>The day Tony had his bandages taken off was also the day that Tony rebought up the question of children with Thor. They’d had a lot of time to think of things and plan things out. They both wanted this. They both wanted a family that they could call their own. They could be the parents they needed growing up. So, it was decided, in two days' time Thor would perform his magic ritual and they would make a baby of their own.</p><p>“Come on Thor. We’ve gone over everything so many times already. I’m ready.” Sighed Tony on the day they were going to use the spell. He was laying down naked on their bed and was watching Thor pace around the room pretty much fully clothed.</p><p>“I’m sorry svass. I’m just nervous. I want to do this right. Please, just let me talk you through it one more time.” Spoke Thor as he sat on the bed next to Tony.</p><p>“Fine.” Huffed Tony even though he too was nervous and wanted Thor to explain things one more time.</p><p>“Alright,” began Thor as he looked over his husband. “It’s quite a simple spell. It will send you to sleep while the changes take place. You will feel no pain. I would never cause you any pain.” Soothed Thor as he grabbed Tony’s hands.</p><p>“Once the changes have finished you will begin to awaken and your body will want nothing more than to make love with me. I will bring you such intense pleasure and hopefully once we are done you will be expecting our baby.” Finished Thor and his hands became a little less fidgety.</p><p>“You know Thor, I have absolutely no problem with becoming sex-crazed enough that you drive me through the mattress. That’s just our normal relationship.” Joked Tony as he continued to lay on the completely naked.   </p><p>“Would it make you more comfortable if I also removed my clothes?” asked Thor, his hands running over Tony’s arms.</p><p>“Like I would ever say no to seeing my gorgeous husband.” Smiled Tony and Thor smiled back.</p><p>Thor methodically stripped off his clothes before he sat back down on the bed. He gently pulled Tony into his arms as the two laid down together. Thor peppered Tony’s face with sweet little kisses. The two looked into each other's eyes and smiled.</p><p>“Are you ready my beloved?” asked Thor.</p><p>“Let’s make a baby.” Smiled Tony.</p><p>Thor kissed Tony and made sure that he was comfortable as he got to work on the spell. He placed his hand over Tony’s lower abdomen and began a series of chants. Over the next 30 seconds, Tony safely fell asleep as the spell started to work. Thor continued his chanting until he was positive that the spell had settled and was working. Once he was sure, he gave Tony a small kiss on the forehead before he got up and began preparing the few things they would need once Tony woke up. Lube was placed nearby as well as some bottles of water and a couple of clean towels.  </p><p>Thor patiently sat beside Tony and waited for him to wake up. He could hardly believe that they were doing this. Making a baby. A baby of their own. Thor and Tony both loved babies and children, that was no secret. So, it shouldn’t have been so surprising that they were going to want to make one of their own. It made Thor feel all giddy as he thought of Tony playing with their future baby.</p><p>After about half an hour had passed, Tony started to wake up. It was slow at first, just the subtle twitch of a finger or shake of his head. Thor quickly got ready and started covering Tony in gentle touches.</p><p>“…Thor…?” sighed Tony as Thor began peppering little kisses over his eyes.</p><p>“Thor… I need… I need…” began Tony as he began to feel all hot and bothered. It was like his blood was on fire and Thor was the only one who could quell the heat.</p><p>“Shh, my beloved. I know what you need. I’ll make you feel so good.” Cooed Thor as he continued kissing over Tony. He couldn’t resist the sweet sounds of need that his husband was making.</p><p>Thor carefully positioned himself between Tony’s open legs and made sure that his fingers were thoroughly coated in lube. As much as Thor wanted to draw this out for his own pleasure, he knew that Tony was in need and with the sounds he was making, it was unlikely that either would last very long.</p><p>Thor quickly but carefully opened Tony up for him. The entire time Tony was whining and squirming on his fingers. Thor had to use his free hand to hold Tony’s hips still. There was a certain thrill to that for Thor. Seeing Tony loose control just by using his fingers. Having to hold him down to keep control made all the primal instincts in Thor sing.</p><p>“Thor! Thor, please!” cried Tony as Thor finished prepping Tony and removed his fingers.</p><p>“Shh. Shh, my sweet. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” Soothed Thor as he lined himself up.</p><p>As Thor pushed inside Tony he practically screamed in pleasure. Having Thor slip so easily inside him made Tony’s nerves tingle. It just felt right. Like Thor belonged there permanently between Tony’s legs. And at the same time, Thor was dealing with his own sensations. He felt the need to bring tony as much pleasure as possible before he filled his husband with his seed so it could take route.</p><p>Thor didn’t give Tony much time for him to adjust to his member. But it wasn’t like Tony needed it because of the spell. Thor pounded into Tony as Tony screamed his name in pure, unabashed pleasure. It was amazing as they moved together and drew each other to their limits. The entire time Thor was whispering little encouragements as well as dirty thoughts into Tony’s ear. Their hands wandered over each other and deep, pulsing kisses were shared.</p><p>“Thor! Thor!” cried out Tony as he drew closer and closer to his peak.</p><p>“Let go, my beloved. Let go for me. Let go and I’ll give you what you need.” Urged Thor.</p><p>Tony convulsed and screamed out Thor’s name as he came. It was possibly the most intense orgasm that he’d ever had. Nothing else mattered in that moments except for the pleasure that Thor was bringing him. And Thor didn’t stop after tony had finished. He continued to fuck Tony through his orgasm and into unconsciousness as he followed just a few minutes behind Tony. Thor had to catch himself from falling on top of Tony as he came down from his high. His love had already whited out from pleasure and exhaustion, Thor didn’t need to add to that.</p><p>Thor gently pulled out of his husband and pulled him into his arms. Tony was still out cold and would likely sleep for the rest of the night. Thor took the liberty of cleaning things up a bit before he made sure that he and Tony were both comfortable. That night was one of the best sleeps either of them had had in a long time.             </p><p>Thor was the first to wake up that morning. Tony was still sleeping soundly in his arms. Thor spent a while just watching him. He loved how carefree Tony was in his sleep. But eventually, his stomach rumbling forced him to get up and venture out for food. Yes, food sounded great. Plus he could bring Tony some breakfast in bed as a treat. That sounded lovely. So, Thor ventured out of bed threw on some rumpled pyjamas and made his way to the kitchen.   </p><p>“Hey, Thor. Where’s Tony?” asked Clint as Thor piddled around the kitchen making some food for breakfast.</p><p>“He’s still sleeping.”</p><p>“I take it the two of you had a fun night last night then?” smirked Clint and Thor smirked back.</p><p>“You could say that.”</p><p>Thor didn’t stay too long in the kitchen. He got what he needed and left the others who were slowly waking up to their own devices. He needed to return to Tony and make sure that he was fed and doing alright. As Thor arrived back in their room, he set the tray of food he’d prepared aside and gently knelt next to Tony so he could rouse him from his slumber.</p><p>Tony was practically putty in his hands as he slowly woke up and allowed Thor to feed him the fruit and toast he’d prepared. Thor was often like this after a night of passion, but even more so now that they were actively trying for a baby.</p><p>The two spent the day secluded away in their room just relaxing and watching movies. Tony needed rest and relaxation to make sure every component of the spell did its job. They wanted this. Like, really wanted this.</p><p>Over the next couple of weeks, they tried to keep things as normal as possible. The team had no clue what was going on. Tony and Thor wanted to keep this a secret until they were sure that it had worked. It was stressful waiting for any sign that the spell had worked. And it really was a waiting game. And it wasn’t really until Tony noticed that he was throwing up more than normal and feeling more nauseous then his sort of normal did he have JARVIS order him some pregnancy tests.</p><p>Waiting for the results was nerve-wracking for Tony. He didn’t tell Thor that he was taking them. He wanted it to be a surprise. So, while Thor was working out in the gym Tony snuck off to take the tests. He took four and sat down on the bathroom floor and just waited. He picked at his sleeves and fiddled around with his hearing aids even though he knew he shouldn’t.</p><p>The second the wait was over Tony was scrambling to get to his feet so he could check the tests. His hands were shaking as he looked all of them over. And, just as soon as he’d checked them over, he dropped them and started crying tears of unadulterated joy.</p><p>Tony Carter-Stark was pregnant. He couldn’t wait to tell Thor.</p><p>Tony wandered back to his and Thor’s room wit wait for him. He couldn’t wait to tell Thor the news. He sat there on the bed with tears still in his eyes. Luckily, Tony didn’t have to wait long for Thor to show up. He was wearing his tank top and shorts still from his work out and looked absolutely delectable. Although once he saw that Tony was on the bed with tears in his eyes he went running over to pull his husband into his arms.</p><p>“My beloved! What’s wrong? Are you hurt?” worried Thor and Tony just smiled up at him and guided his hands down to his stomach.</p><p>“We did it, Thor. We did it. I’m pregnant.” Whispered Tony as he placed his hands over Thor’s.</p><p>Thor was momentarily stunned before he pulled Tony into a bruising kiss. His eyes filled with his own tears as he drank in the news. The spell had worked! They were going to be parents! This was one of the best days of Thor’s life. Right up there with his wedding day.</p><p>“I’m so happy svass. So, so happy. I just know you’ll look so radiant carrying our child. I love you so much.”  Cried Thor as he held Tony close and kissed over his neck.</p><p>The two spent the rest of the night just lying in bed together and marvelling over the fact that the spell had worked and Tony was pregnant. Neither could keep their hands off of Tony’s stomach. They couldn’t wait to see as their child grew. They couldn’t wait to see what they would look like. Would they look more like Thor or Tony? They didn’t really care, but it was fun to speculate even though it was still very early.</p><p>By some miracle, they managed to keep everything a secret for an entire month before they told anyone. They just wanted to make sure things were safe and well before they told their friends and family. They told Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy first. They had some questions about everything, but with them having known Thor for so long they gave their congratulations and offered support should they need it. They were cool like that.</p><p>Next, they told the Avengers. They had the most questions but it was understandable. They didn’t know much about Thor’s magic and they wanted to know how best to make sure things went smoothly so Tony and the baby would be alright. Tony and Steve ended up having a conversation about everything later that night. In some other world where Steve never went into the ice, he probably would have been Tony’s father. That was a bit of a strange thought but in some ways, Tony found it nice that Steve cared. He’d grown up with Edwin Jarvis as a father figure and protector but he still had to deal with Howard's abuse and his step-father’s neglect. Having someone else care was special.</p><p>Tony told his mom about the baby in a letter. He knew she wouldn’t really care much and that his siblings absolutely would NOT care, but he still sent the letter. It was really the only way he could let her know because he wasn’t about to go all the way to DC where she was just to inevitably be yelled at by his siblings. It was just better this way.</p><p>Thor was the one to go and tell his own parents and friends. Tony had been feeling dizzier than normal and was too fragile to travel the Bifrost so Thor promised to be back by the day's end and left on his own. It was strange being back on Asgard after everything that had happened with Loki. There were a few stares as Thor approached the palace but Thor paid them no mind. He had good news and nothing could ruin it.</p><p>His mother and father were waiting in the throne room when Thor arrived. The room seemed a bit tense but Thor was quick to break that up when he told his parents the good news. His mother was positively ecstatic once Thor announced that he was going to be a father. He was crushed in her arms as he went on and on about how she was excited to be a grandmother and all the things she’d be bringing for Tony and the baby.</p><p>Thor’s father was equally as excited but didn’t show it in the same way as his mother. He clapped Thor on the back and declared that it was time for him t finally meet the man who had taken his eldest son’s heart and was giving him a grandchild before he whisked his wife off to go pack a few things for the night since they’d probably stay at the tower overnight.  </p><p>And then 15 minutes after that Thor told his friends the news of the baby and they pretty much demanded to come down to Midgard to give their well wishes and Thor wasn’t really going to deny them since he was already bringing his parents down with him.             </p><p>Which was what lead to Thor bringing the King and Queen of Asgard as well as all his friends back to the tower with him.</p><p>Frigga pretty much made a b-line for Tony and smothered him in hugs and motherly love as she gave him her congratulation. Thor took that opportunity to introduce everyone to each other and make sure that they were all settled for the evening. He also took the liberty of ordering as much food as he possibly could. With everyone there, they needed it.</p><p>Now, Thor had been nervous about introducing Tony to his father. Before it had been because of his prejudice and now it was just because he was worried about Tony. He’d been through enough. But luckily nothing went wrong. After actually seeing Tony, Odin was hit by the same “protect Tony” instinct as everyone else and promised to help out with the baby if he should ever need it.</p><p>That night Thor and the others took great joy in introducing the other Asgardians to Midgardian foods. Although they avoided things with pork. For some reason, it made Tony nauseous to even look at any pork products.</p><p>It was nice to have everyone there to support Tony and the new life they were growing. It helped Tony realize that the family he had found on his own was more important than his blood family. He’d chosen this family. He’d picked the people he surrounded himself with and he was so much better off for it.</p><p>The Asgardians didn’t stay more than a night but they promised to visit again soon before the baby was born. After that, things quieted down at the tower. Things were normal. Well, as normal as things could be when you lived in a tower full of heroes.</p><p>Thanks to Pepper, Tony was able to keep his pregnancy under wraps from the public while he was still in the early stages. He just got to enjoy that time as his body began to slowly change. Things were slow at first. Over those first three months of pregnancy Tony barely even developed a baby bump. It was there, just not very noticeable if he wore the right clothes. The second Thor noticed the barely-there bump he couldn’t keep his hands off of Tony. There were days where tony would just be working on new designs peacefully in his lab and Thor would come up behind him and rest his hands over where their baby was safely growing.</p><p>As the months continued Tony ran into a few snags. The first one was a little more obvious. Because his hormones were a little out of wack he often felt dizzier than normal and needed to lay down more often. It sucked, it really did, but Tony mostly just toughed it out. He didn’t have much of a choice on the matter anyway. If being dizzier and feeling sicker than usual was the trade-off to having a healthy baby of his own then Tony would take it. The pain was temporary, his love for his unborn child was forever.</p><p>The second little problem was that Tony's little baby bump wasn’t so little anymore. Asgardians must have big babies because at five months along Tony looked huge! Thor absolutely loved running his hands over the bump and feeling the baby kick. He actually cried the first time he felt an impossibly tiny foot move within his beloved. Tony still had to footage of that moment. It made him smile that this baby was making them each so happy.</p><p>But whereas Thor and Tony were happy about the growing bump, the public was growing suspicious and rumours started to flow. Because Tony’s normally tight clothes didn’t fir at the moment, he’d sort of been exclusively been wearing Thor’s over large clothes that seemed to swallow him up. But even then the bump was still visible as well as the other weight Tony had put on because of the pregnancy.</p><p>And let's just say that all the fat jokes and derogatory remarks thrown Tony’s way from the gossip rags were hurtful.</p><p>Thor knew he had to do something to keep Tony from having to deal with all the harsh words. He hated seeing Tony so upset when this should be a joyous time full of celebration and preparing for the baby. So, Thor with Pepper and Rhodey’s help, took to social media to clear things up. He told everyone that Tony was expecting and that they had used a spell as well as Thor’s status of God of Fertility to achieve their little upcoming bundle of joy. He also asked that people leave them be and not harass Tony or their child once they were born. It was a pipe dream but it was something.</p><p>There were equal amounts of well wishes and angry backlash over the news. Thor didn’t let Tony see any of the bad stuff. He didn’t need all the stress and hurt while he was pregnant. Well, he didn’t need it ever but especially not when pregnant.</p><p>As Tony approached his sixth month he and Thor began to get more and more excited with every ultrasound he had. On the day of Tony’s 28-week ultrasound, they were practically bouncing with excitement. This was the one where hopefully they would find out what they were having. Their baby had been very uncooperative the past few scans that the SHIELD doctors had done. They were hoping that they would be lucky this time.</p><p>When they got to the SHIELD medical office Thor made sure that Tony was all checked in before they were lead back to the examination room. Thor helped Tony up onto the bed and the doctor and nurse present got all the equipment set up. Then came the fun part.</p><p>As the scan went on Tony and Thor paid attention to everything the doctor was telling them. According to the doctor, their baby was growing and developing normally by human standards and looked healthy. They were grateful for that. They were grateful that their baby was healthy.</p><p>“Alright you two, are you ready to find out the gender? It looks like the baby is cooperating with us today.” asked the doctor. Tony and Thor nodded vigorously and the doctor smiled at them.</p><p>“Congratulations you two. It’s a boy!”</p><p>Thor, ever the emotional man he was, burst into tears at the news. Tony would have laughed a bit but he was crying too. Neither really cared about the gender of their baby, but just knowing now what they were having and that they were healthy was just a weight lifted from their shoulders.</p><p>That night, pretty much as soon as they got back to the tower, they told everyone who was present there on Midgard. Thor and Tony’s mini-me was officially a boy! Money was traded around at the news. Clint was pissed he’d lost the betting pool but happy that the baby was healthy. Pepper and Happy even visited that night and Rhodey promised to visit as soon as he got leave.</p><p>It was a really happy night just filled with good news.          </p><p>Two weeks later found Tony and Thor sitting in bed together munching on snacks and watching a movie. Tony was currently torturing Thor with his pregnancy cravings which included pickles, onions, copious amounts of bread with Nutella, and fishy crackers. So. Many. Fishy Crackers. Thor found Tony’s craving endearing and was always ready with some sort of snack for his beloved.  </p><p>So they two were curled up together and just relaxing when Tony brought up a very valid point.</p><p>“You know Thor, we really should start thinking of a name for the baby. We need to call him something. We just can’t keep calling him baby bean for the rest of his life.” Spoke Tony as he cuddled closer into Thor’s side. Their son was kicking like mad and Thor’s presence often helped to calm him down.</p><p>“We should my beloved. Our son deserves a name worthy of his lineage and strength. I already know he will be smart and strong. Our perfect little baby.” Smiled Thor as he rested his hands over where their son was currently assaulting Tony’s bladder.</p><p>“Well… Any ideas?” asked Tony.</p><p>“I do have one?” confessed Thor. “Since being with you I admit that I have often dreamt of having a child with you. I’ve thought a lot about this.” Blushed Thor and Tony thought it was cute.</p><p>“And what name would that be?” asked Tony. He wanted to know if Thor had picked an Asgardian or Midgardian name for their baby.</p><p>“I quite like the name, Leif. In Asgardian, it means “The Successor”. It seems gentle yet fitting for our son.” Smiled Thor and Tony moved around a bit so he could kiss him.</p><p>“I like that name.” smiled Tony with a few tears in his eyes. “I really do. It’s… it’s perfect. I love it”</p><p>Thor leant down and gave Tony a sweet little kiss as he continued to run his hands around Tony’s baby bump feeling after their son. The two stayed silent for a little bit just thinking and enjoying each other's company. Leif. Leif Thorson. It just sounded right. A gentle yet strong name for their son. Their sweet, sweet boy.   </p><p>“Can his middle name be James? After Rhodey? He’s been more of a brother to me than my actual brother.” Asked Tony interrupting their silence.</p><p>“Of course my beloved. Leif James Thorson. A beautiful name for our son.” Smiled Thor. His eyes sparkled as he said it.</p><p>Well apparently picking a name for their son was the easiest part of this entire pregnancy.</p><p>Two weeks later Thor’s friends and parents came down to Midgard to visit and to throw Tony a bit of a baby shower. Rhodey managed to get time off and was there along with Happy, Pepper, and the other Avengers.</p><p>During the shower, Tony and Thor revealed the name they would be giving their son. Everyone seemed to love the name. They all agreed. It just seemed to fit. A medley of both Tony and Thor’s homes.</p><p>Tony was also gifted a few things during the shower. Frigga had knitted the baby a few blankets and Tony teared up at the sight. It was nice that the baby had at least one grandparent who cared. Tony was also gifted some science themes onesies for Leif from the Avengers, some crayons and baby-safe paints from Steve, a traditional shield from Odin, a science crib mobile from Rhodey, toy cars from Happy, and a cute stuffed lion plushy from Pepper.         </p><p>The whole thing was actually really nice. Tony was floored by how thoughtful everyone was. It made his heart feel lighter then it had in a long, long time. It was nice knowing that so many people close to him cared about him and his baby. He never thought he’d ever get this. It was amazing that he did.</p><p>As Tony entered his 7<sup>th</sup> and 8<sup>th</sup> months of pregnancy he and Thor spent most of their time making sure everything was ready for the baby and going to various doctor appointments. They used a bedroom right next to theirs for Leif’s room. Thor and Steve painted it since Tony wasn’t allowed with all the paint fumes.</p><p>The room was painted in both Tony and Thor’s colours. Red and gold. The walls were a dull, more soothing red and Steve painted all the little details and pictures in gold. There were little science symbols as well as some Asgardian ones that Thor showed him. There was a bassinet in the corner right next to a changing table and dresser. A rocking chair sat nearby along with some toys and stuffed animals sitting in a box. All the wood was done up with darker stains that would help the room be darker at night for the baby. Above the crib, Steve wait painted Leif’s name in golden, sparkly lettering. In the closet, there was a healthy supply of diapers and creams so that they were prepared for the time where Tony was healing.</p><p>Tony absolutely loved the room when Thor showed it to him. He may have cried when he saw it but he blamed it all on hormones.   </p><p>As Tony’s pregnancy neared the end he began to feel very nervous. He was about to give birth to a tiny little baby who would need him and Thor to take care of him. Tony was worried that he would fuck everything up. He hadn’t exactly had the best role models as parents himself. He just didn’t want to fuck this up. Thor helped a lot when Tony got too stuck in his head. He made sure that Tony understood that they were in this together and that their baby would be alright. He also made sure to give Tony extra cuddled and massages to ease his sore muscles. He did whatever he could to help. Tony was doing all the hard work, he deserved help and affection and Thor would never deny him that. Never.    </p><p>Now all they needed was for their baby to finally arrive.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Yay! Baby time! I hope y’all are excited. Next chapter will be the last one for this fic. I hope y’all have been enjoying it. Let me know what you think in the comments. It’s been fun writing this, if not a little cathartic. I also hope that it’s shed just a little bit of light onto the disease I live with. I tried to portray it in how I experience things without over doing it. I hope everyone is staying safe out there. I’ll see y’all soon. -Shadows</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The beginning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey there! It’s time for the last chapter. Who’s ready for the birth of a new prince? Are you excited? I’m excited. Enjoy the chapter. I’ll see you at the end.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The day Tony went into labour, he didn’t exactly know what was going on. The day had actually started off pretty normal. He’d woken up to Thor bringing him some breakfast in bed and thin in itself was a wonderful treat. Tony had stayed in bed for the remainder of the morning before some abdominal cramps dare him out of bed to stretch out a bit. Thor was hovering around and voiced his concern when Tony started wincing.</p><p>“Are you alright my beloved?” asked Thor as he helped Tony walk towards the sofa in the main living room.</p><p>“I’m… I’m alright. Just some really bad cramps. I’ll be fine.” Winced Tony as he sat down.</p><p>“Alright. Just let me know if anything changes.”</p><p>The two sat down together for another hour before Tony noticed that the cramping was getting worse and he was feeling dizzy. The dizziness he wasn’t concerned about. But the cramping? Yeah, he was starting to worry.</p><p>“Hey Thor?” spoke Tony as he once again winced and doubled over his baby bump.</p><p>“Yes, svass? Are you alright?” worried Thor once again.</p><p>“I uh… I’m pretty sure I’m in labour.”</p><p>It was odd that tony was the most level headed at that moment. Thor was running around gathering things like a chicken with his head cut off while Tony just sat there on the couch and asked Natasha if she could drive them to SHIELD medical. Of course, she agreed and once Thor was ready they sped off.</p><p>The entire drive Tony tried to focus on his breathing like he’d been told to by his doctor. He held Thor’s hand and just hoped that they got to SHIELD in time. It was an hour's drive on a good day and traffic at the moment was not on their side. Plus it didn’t help that Tony wasn’t entirely sure how long he’d been I labour for because he’d passed off most of the pain and dizziness as just what he felt normally throughout the pregnancy. But now he knew better. Now he knew that he was having contractions and they were getting closer and closer together. Natasha really needed to use her skills and get them to SHIELD faster. This baby just wasn’t wanting to wait.</p><p>“Um… Tony? Did your waters just break?” worried Thor. Tony just squeezed his hand and tried to keep from screaming and giving birth in the back of Natasha’s car.</p><p>“We’re five minutes out. Just hold on for another five.” Spoke Natasha and Tony nodded. He couldn’t wait for this to be over so he could hold his son for the first time.</p><p>Once they arrived Thor was quick to carry Tony inside while Natasha let everyone know what was going on. They were met by the doctors and nurses and Tony was quickly changed into a hospital gown and brought to the room where he would be giving birth to his son. Shortly after they arrived Tony’s main doctor went a checked how far along Tony was in his labour. </p><p>“You’re baby certainly is impatient. You’re already 7 cm dilated. How long have you been in labour?” asked the doctor.</p><p>“I have no fucking clue. I’ve just been in pain and I really want this baby out of me.” Snapped Tony as he squeezed Thor’s hand as if his life depended on it.</p><p>“Well, it doesn’t look like this will be too long. I’ll be back to check in on you in half an hour. If anything changes just call for a nurse.”</p><p>“Uh… you may want to come back a bit sooner. Asgardian labours are quite short. Normally only half a day at the very longest.” Spoke Thor as he wiped his husband's brow and gave him some comfort that was very much appreciated.</p><p>“I’ll be back in 10 minutes then.” Spoke the doctor before she left the room to grab some things she would need while the nurses set up the things they would need for once the baby was born.</p><p>While all this was going on Tony was trying his best to keep from screaming in pain. This was the second-worst pain he’d ever felt and it sucked. Sure, Thor was helping as much as he could, but he couldn’t take the pain away. Tony just really wanted this to be over. He just wanted to hold his baby in his arms and see him for the first time. He wanted to finally be able to talk to his son. He’d be able to see what he looked like. Would he look more like Tony or Thor? Tony wanted to know so badly, but first, he had to get through this horrible pain.</p><p>“SON OF A BITCH!” yelled Tony 20 minutes later as he was instructed to push. Thor was right, Asgardian labours were short. But that sure didn’t make them easy.</p><p>“Shh svass. Just push. You’re doing so well.” Encouraged Thor as he supported Tony’s back and held his hand. He was certain that Tony had broken on of his fingers but he didn’t care.  </p><p>“Thor, while I appreciate the sentiment, THIS REALLY FUCKING HURTS!” shouted Tony as he pushed again on his next contraction.</p><p>“Just a few more pushes Mr. Carter-Stark. I can see your son’s head.” Instructed the doctor and Tony did as instructed.</p><p>Five minutes later a tiny, screaming baby boy was placed on his chest and both new parents were crying and gushing over their son.</p><p>“You did so perfectly my beloved. So perfect. Thank you. Thank you. So perfect.” Blubbered Thor as he held Tony and baby Leif close to him while the doctors and nurses puttered around doing what they needed to do.</p><p>They were lucky. Leif was born perfectly healthy and at a hefty 9 pounds. He definitely got that from Thor. Leif had a small mop of brown hair and a tiny little scrunched up nose that just made his parent’s hearts melt. For the split second that Leif had opened his eyes, Tony could see that they were blue like Thor’s were. Tony hoped that’d stay that way.</p><p>After a little bit and after making sure that both Tony and baby Leif were doing alright, the doctors and nurses left for a bit to allow the new parents to bond for a bit as per Asgardian custom. On Asgard allowing the new parents to bond alone with their baby, barring any emergencies that could hurt the baby or the birth giver, was very important. It was in that time where protection enchantments were made and the everlasting bond began to form.</p><p>The entire time Tony held his son safely in his arms while Thor held them both in his. They sat mostly in silence as they just took in the fact that they were now parents to the most perfect baby in all of the nine realms. The entire time they were alone if felt as if they were in their own nebulous little world. It was just the three of them. Just existing and being happy. At one point Thor got up to prepare a bottle for Leif, but other than that, neither moved.</p><p>After almost two hours practically alone, Tony and Thor allowed their friends to come in and visit so they could meet Leif. Pretty quickly the room was full of all their well-meaning friends. Pepper and Happy even brought balloons that they knew Thor would enjoy. Even Rhodey was there and that made Tony feel amazing. He was scared that he wouldn’t be able to get the time off to meet Leif when he was born. He was glad he did.       </p><p>“Hey, Tones. How are you feeling?” asked Rhodey as he looked over at his friend.</p><p>“I’ve felt better, but honestly, it’s worth it. I mean, look at him. I made this!” smiled Tony as he tilted Leif a little bit to show his son off to the room.</p><p>“Oh Tony, he’s so precious.” Cooed both Pepper and Clint as they moved a little bit closer to get a better look. Thor was just sitting with Tony and smiling like a loon as everyone compliments on how adorable his son was and how amazing Tony had done.</p><p>“So, what will you have little Leif call you guys?” asked Steve as he cooed over the baby in Tony’s arms.</p><p>“Well, I’ll be Daddy and Thor is Papa.” Explained Tony as he leant down and kissed his son on the head.</p><p>Their friends didn’t stay for too long. They could tell that Tony was exhausted and needed some well-deserved rest. Thor held Leif as Tony slept. He had taken off his shirt for some skin to skin bonding. It was good for the baby. The entire time, Thor could hardly take his eyes off of his son. He was just so small in his arms. He couldn’t wait till Leif was older and he could begin to teach him things. Leif would know nothing but love and supports. He was the future of both Midgard and Asgard. He would be loved by all and he would make a fine king someday should he choose to inherit the throne. Maybe he’d pursue science and maths as Tony had. Thor didn’t care. As long as Leif was happy, he would be happy and supportive.  </p><p>Tony and Leif spent a week in SHIELD medical before they were allowed to go back home. Because this was an… unusual situation for Midgard to be dealing with, they just kept them there to make sure everything was alright. They were both completely fine, but it was better to be safe than sorry.   </p><p>When they all arrived back at the tower courtesy of a ride back from Happy, they were met with happy faces and lots of snacks. Tony was incredibly appreciative of the snacks. After a week of SHIELD medical food, even dirt would taste good. Plus he wasn’t about to pass up the option to have coffee again now that he was no longer pregnant and couldn’t, you know, breastfeed. The coffee would become his saving grace during those sleepless nights. </p><p>Loads of pictures were taken of Leif that day. He was just to darn cute. Nobody could resist. Tony decided to send a few of the pictures along to his mother. He wasn’t sure if she would care, but he knew his mom loved babies and would probably love how adorable Leif was. </p><p>Tony and Thor adjusted well to having Leif in their lives. Sure, they were up at all hours and didn’t get enough sleep, but every second they got the spend with Leif was worth it. Plus Tony found it hilarious when his sleep-deprived husband struggled to change diapers at two in the morning.</p><p>When Leif was a month old, Tony and Thor journeyed together to Asgard so that Leif could meet his grandparents and to be announced as heir to the throne of Asgard. They travelled by using the newly constructed Bifrost because it was easier and safer with the baby. Tony decidedly did not like the Bifrost. He felt so dizzy when they landed that he collapsed to the floor. He was glad that Thor had been holding Leif. Actually, Tony was so dizzy and shaky from the travel that Thor had to call on ahead to have them bring a carriage down so they could actually make it to the palace without Tony accidentally falling off of the rainbow bridge.</p><p>Once they arrived at the palace they were immediately swarmed by Queen Frigga who smothered Tony in hugs and demanded to meet her grandson. It didn’t take long before Leif was being passed around by his Asgardian friends and family. Tony and Thor smiled over the fact that their son was already so loved by everyone. It was so much better then what Tony had had growing up. He couldn’t wait to see his son grow up surrounded by so much love.</p><p>That afternoon King Odin help a public ceremony where he introduced Asgard to Tony and Leif and announced their roles for the future. When Thor eventually took over the throne, Tony would serve as his queen. On Asgard, the titles “King’ and “Queen” weren’t gendered terms. The King was the one who ruled on the main throne and the Queen was the one married to them and ruled at their side. It seemed like an alright system to run off of.     </p><p>Introducing Leif to the Kingdom was quite the spectacle. Tony and Thor got to sit on the main thrones of Asgard with Leif in Tony’s arms as citizens came forward and gave their blessings and gifts for the young prince. Tony couldn’t quite believe that his son was a prince. He wondered how that would make things moving forward, especially back home on Earth. Well, only time would tell. All he cared about was making sure that Leif grew up happy and healthy.  </p><p>Later that night, Frigga offered to care for Leif for a little bit so that Tony and Thor could have some alone time. The two found themselves in a private garden that appeared to be perpetually shrouded in stars. The flowers there gave off a subtle scent and the entire atmosphere was incredibly calming. The two just sat there cuddled up under a tree and looked up at the stars until Tony spoke up.</p><p>“You know what Thor? I’m glad you saved me all those years ago. I’m glad you stopped me from jumping. I’m glad you gave me a chance. I’m glad you decided to love me. I’m glad I have you and Leif. You two make everything worth it.” Whispered Tony as he laid his head over Thor’s heart. Thor gathered him in his arms and smiled.</p><p>“I’m glad I have you too, svass. You make me so happy. You and Leif both. You make me want to try harder and be better. I would change the world to make it better just for the two of you. I love you, my sweet Anthony.”</p><p>“And I love you, Thor.”     </p><p>The two drifted off that night under the stars knowing that their son was in safe hands. They slept well that night. They were together. They were safe. They were happy. They were healing. It was everything they could have asked for. Sure, life would continue to throw curveballs, but they would face them together.</p><p>Always together.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, that’s it. That’s the fic! I hope you all enjoyed it. It was a fun one to write. Let me know what you thought! As for future works from me, I’ve got some stuff planned. I’ve got a new multi-chapter fic in the works. I’m going to write all the chapters first or at least most of them before I start posting. I’m also going to write a bunch of one-shots over the summer so I can post them during the school year. In the meantime, if you’re a first time reader of mine, I’ve got loads of other fics (including another thunderiron one) you can read and enjoy. Thank you all so much for reading. See you around! -Shadows   </p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. The letter</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey there guys. I got a little request by lilyflower101 to write out Peggy’s response to the letter Tony sends her. So, here’s a quick one-shot. Thank you all for reading and enjoying this fic. Your support means a lot.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Peggy hadn’t been expecting mail that day. She was just hoping for a quiet day. Rebecca had visited the day before and Matthew had brought her some treats and tales of her grandchildren a few days before that. She wasn’t expecting anything. So, when a letter from her youngest son arrived in her stack of daily mail, she was taken a bit off guard. She hadn’t heard from Tony in a while. Not since he and Matthew had had that fight just before she was put into the nursing home.</p><p>Peggy opened the letter with haste using a well-worn letter opener Daniel had gotten her just after the formation of SHIELD. It used to be silver plates but had long since worn away to a tarnished brass. She cut open the envelope and removed the piece of paper inside along with a photograph. On the back were the words <em>Just in case you don’t believe me </em>written in Tony’s neat script. Peggy frowned in confusion before she turned it over to look at the photo.</p><p>The photo was actually a sonogram. It was a little blurry but there was unmistakably a baby there. The photo didn’t answer any of Peggy’s questions so she turned to the letter hoping things would become clear. So, Peggy opened the letter and began reading the contents.</p><p>
  <em>Dear Mom;</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know you won't really care for this news seeing as how you’ve put all of my other important life events on the back burner. I’m still upset that you blew off my wedding to be with Rebecca. Yes, I knew she was pregnant at the time but she was doing alright. But me, I wasn’t doing alright and all I wanted was my own mom to be at my wedding. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I’m still not really doing alright by the way. I’m sure Matthew told you all about that big battle in New York a while back. I’m sure he fed you all sorts of lies about what I did and what he said. I’m not going to go through all the trouble of rehashing anything. All I’ll say is that my brother-in-law is kind of a dick. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I don’t really know why I’m writing this letter. Maybe it’s because I just hope that you’ll care or you’ll be happy for me. Maybe it’s because Steve told me I should write to you. I’m sure you were informed that he was found. He’s doing well by the way. He’s adapting to everything and is acting more fatherly to me then Howard or Daniel ever did. He actually cares. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>But I’m getting off track. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mom, I’m writing to tell you that I’m pregnant. Thor and I are going to have a baby. I know this won’t make much sense to you seeing as how you’ve only met Thor twice. Thor is magical. He’s from Asgard and is magical. He’s not just the God of Thunder. He’s the God of Fertility. So, he used his magic so we could make a baby together.    </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know to you this probably won't be big news seeing as how Matthew and Rebecca beat me to giving you grandkids. But I guess you deserve to know. I’ll see if I can have you meet them at least once after they’re born depending on what Matthew and Rebecca end up doing. Despite everything, you’re still my mom and I still want you to love me and to meet your grandbaby. The future Prince or Princess of Asgard. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I know you might not believe this new, but at least I can say I told you. Do with this what you want. At least I’ve told you. I hope you still love me, mom. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>I hope you’re well. -Tony </em>
</p><p>Peggy was absolutely shocked at the news. There were tears in her eyes as she read over the words again and again while also looking at the picture. Her baby was having a baby. Her baby was having a baby and he thought that she wouldn’t care. It hurt to know that she’d failed her youngest so profoundly. It hurt to know that he was hurting. It hurt to know that he’d been lacking so severely in the father department until Steve came into the picture.   </p><p>Now Tony was off starting a family of his own all the while hoping that his own mother still loved him. It broke her heart that she’d failed her baby. She’d missed so many things with him because of the circumstances of his birth and how he was raised. Now he was trying to make his own family while trying to learn from all the mistakes she and Howard had done in raising him.  </p><p>Tony was strong, Peggy knew that. He had to be to have survived Howard and his siblings. She just wished she’d been there for him. She wished she’d protected him better. She wished she’d been to his wedding. She wished she’d been there as he grew and dealt with everything. She wished she’d been there after he was kidnapped and tortured. She just wished she’d been there.</p><p>She wished she’d done better.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>That’s it. That’s a wrap. I’m glad everyone enjoyed this fic. Don’t forget to check out my other ones. Thanks for reading. -Shadows   </p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Well, that was certainly heavy for the first chapter. Sorry about that. Well…? What did everyone think? It’s been so long since I’ve written Thunderiron. It felt like it was time to jump back into this ship. Updates will be sporadic because even though we’re all stuck at home unless your essential (We love you essential workers. All of you!) I feel like my energy has been completely sapped and I just haven’t been feeling great. Like, writing is a great outlet for me, but I want to take my time with this. I hope everyone’s doing alright. Stay safe out there. I hope you enjoyed this. I’ll see you all soon-ish. -Shadows   </p></blockquote></div></div>
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